Through the Looking Glass
by Jeffery Harris
Summary: Originally posted on the old TMFFA, ported here by request.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * T H R O U G H T H E L O O K I N G G L A S S * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Title: "Matthew"  
Music and Lyrics: John Denver

I had an uncle, name of Matthew, he was his father's only boy.  
Born just south of Colby, Kansas, he was his mother's pride and joy.  
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on,  
love was just a way to live and die.  
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,  
blue was just the Kansas summer sky.

And all the stories that he told me back when I was just a lad.  
All the memories that he gave me, all the good times that he had.  
Growing up a Kansas farm boy, life was mostly having fun.  
Riding on his daddy's shoulders behind the mule, beneath the sun.  
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on,  
love was just a way to live and die.  
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,  
blue was just the Kansas summer sky.

Well, I guess there were some hard times, and I'm told some years were lean.  
They had a storm in '47, twister came and stripped 'em clean.  
He lost the farm, he lost his family, he lost the wheat, he lost his home.  
But he found the family bible, his faith as solid as a stone.  
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on,  
love was just a way to live and die.  
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,  
blue was just the Kansas summer sky.

So he came to live at our house, and he came to work the land.  
He came to ease my daddy's burdens, and he came to be my friend.  
So I wrote this down for Matthew, and it's for him this song is sung.  
Riding on his daddy's shoulders, behind the mule, beneath the sun.  
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on,  
love was just a way to live and die.  
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,  
blue was just the Kansas summer sky.  
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on,  
love was just a way to live and die.  
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,  
blue was just the Kansas summer sky.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The vew outside was definitely strange. Moments before they had been sailing outbound away from Earth, the stars of home sprinkled in familiar constellations around the great ship Tsunami-fune. Then came the abnormal jump -- not that there is anything *normal* about skipping in and out of spacetime under any circumstances -- and the unconventional view outside.

It was black. Utterly black. No stars, save for one incandescent point at some distance away.

The reactions among the human crew were mixed. They occupied an elaborate lounge area nestled deep within the ship's Core Unit, where deep-cushioned chairs hovered in an arc before a large viewing screen. The crew itself consisted of six human females and one human male. The former constituted a veritable rainbow in appearance: their hair varied from shoulder-length to ankle-length, braids to ponytails to unkempt tresses, in colors that ranged from purple to red to turquoise to cyan, and ages that ranged from pre-teen to adult. The latter was mundane by comparison: brown-haired and of average height, a young adult who could easily be lost in a crowd...not that any of the former would permit such an event (they all kept at least one eye on him). The final member of the crew was a furry quadruped about the size of a house cat, covered in a grayish-brown fur, two enormous pink ears, and a single ruby-like gem riding above its large brown eyes. It seldom ventured far from the youngest female, often riding on her head.

"We're here!" Washu announced, grinning.

"Where is 'here'?" Ryoko asked, somewhat disconcerted about the view.

"A little pocket universe, not much more than a couple hundred AU across."

"What's an 'AU'?" Tenchi asked absently.

"Astronomical Unit. That's the mean distance from Earth to its sun."

"Oh," he replied, dredging up a figure from a high school science class: approximately 150 million km or 93 million miles.

"Centered on yonder star?" Ryoko asked.

"Yep."

"Which explains why there no other stars in the sky...there are no other stars here."

"Right again."

"Is this a natural phenomenon?" Ayeka asked.

"I don't know," Washu admitted after a brief pause. "I rather doubt it. There's no easy way to determine this pocket's age; it could have formed with a nebula inside, and the star evolved naturally, or someone generated the bubble around an existing star."

"Someone could have *built* this place?" Tenchi asked, the statement finally sinking in.

"Yes. It would take a tremendous amount of energy, and some fairly advanced technology. But, it could be done."

"Why....?"

"What if you wanted a completely isolated refuge, accessible to only a few savvy, trusted friends? Small enough to defend readily, difficult to reach normally, easy enough to terraform cheaply..."

"Kagato would have killed for a place like this," Ryoko muttered.

"And he'd have enjoy doing it," Ayeka added.

"I doubt if he had any friends," Washu said, closing the topic. "Personally, I prefer subspace bubbles; they're smaller, easier to populate, and a snap to connect to."

"What's the difference between a subspace bubble and a pocket universe?" Mihoshi asked.

"Proximity."

"Huh?"

"Picture a room full of beach balls," Washu said patiently, speaking more to Tenchi than Mihoshi, "where each beach ball represents a universe. A subspace bubble is a blister on the surface of a single beach ball. If the blister detaches from its parent, and can remain independent AND stable, then it becomes a pocket universe."

"I see," Mihoshi replied, in that vacuous voice that indicated she probably didn't understand at all.

Tenchi nodded, though, making the connection. "Shouldn't a whole universe be bigger than this?"

"Not necessarily," Washu smiled. "Not every pocket undergoes inflation."

"Inflation?"

"Like a balloon. An energy management issue. I can explain it to you, if you'd like."

"Thanks anyway, Washu, but I'll just take your word for it. Although...our universe started out as a pocket, right?"

"Excellent deduction, Tenchi!"

"Are you going to explain the idea of parallel universes to him?" Noike asked.

"No, because that mechanism has been disabled here."

"That's not possible -- it's a physical property."

Washu just grinned at her. "Yet another reason to think this pocket is artificial."

"Tenchi, are you ok?" Sasami asked.

"Just the first glimmer of a headache," Tenchi answered, slowly massaging his temples.

"Here, let me do that for you." She leaped from her chair and crossed the gap between them, slipped behind his chair, and reached over his shoulders to touch the sides of his head.

"Hey!" Ryoko and Ayeka both exclaimed, realizing that they'd just been out-maneuvered by a child.

"Mrowrrrr," purred the cabbit from her perch on Sasami's head, and then promptly hopped onto Tenchi's lap.

"I presume there is something in this pocket worth visiting?" Noike asked, ignoring the jealous glares being exchanged around her.

"Absolutely. In fact, we should be able to see it soon enough."

"We can see it now," said Sasami, pointing towards a smudge-like blur in the center of the screen. In moments, it doubled in size, becoming a gray cloud.

"What is that?" Tenchi asked, feeling like the straight man in a poorly-written comedy sketch.

"A comet," Washu replied.

"Aren't comets usually white, with long tails...?"

"Only near a star, and then only if left in their natural state. That one has been cultivated."

"Cultivated? How? Why?"

"Well, consider a few facts," Washu said, counting off those facts on her fingertips. "(1) On average, the number of comets attached to any star is measured in the hundreds of millions, and the combined surface area of those comets is roughly ten thousand times that of an Earth-like planet. (2) On average, most of those comets are amply supplied with water, carbon, and nitrogen, the basic building blocks of life. (3) On average, those specially-endowed comets only lack only two essential requirements for human occupation: heat and oxygen. So, (1) if you need a large habitat, and (2) you have an abundance of comets, but (3) you don't have a lot of other resources to work with, then one of the oldest (and cheapest) solutions available is to convert a comet into a usable habitat by planting a genetically engineered tree on it."

"Huh? That's a tree? Why isn't it green?"

"Because of the high percentage of silicon in the leaves."

"Silicon...? Is that how you make a tree grow in space?"

"The idea is quite simple, actually...even you Terrans have hit on it already." Washu's smile turned a touch condescending. "It's basically a problem of redesigning the tree so that it retains the oxygen created during photosynthesis, and pipes it into cavities inside the trunks and major branches. Toughen the bark somewhat, modify the leaves a bit, and there you go."

Tenchi looked once more at the cloud they were approaching. He was beginning to notice a very fine granularity to the cloud's surface, and an occasional beacon piercing through the murk.

"Distance is important, too," Washu continued. "Trees thrive best in certain solar orbits, where the light is neither too dim nor too bright, and the radiation is at manageable levels. The most expensive part of the operation becomes towing the comet into the proper orbit."

Tenchi could now see a very definite structure to the cloud, which was composed of massive clumps of...something...knotted together in random clusters. Support beams sometimes flashed in the sunlight, or cast inky-black shadows across the gray foam, or were illuminated by bright lights from below the surface. He thought he could also see spacecraft flying just above the surface.

"Over time, the tree runs the risk of depleting the comet's materials, of course -- but digging channels in the ice and filling them with nutrients is as old as farming."

It was a tree, no doubt about it. Shrubbery on a titanic scale. He could now see swarms of traffic darting around and between the massive branches, and layers of lights and frameworks attached to the trunks like fairy ladders, extending toward the 'surface' that lay somewhere in the dark depths. "Uh, how big is that tree?"

"An interesting question. Considering that the wood of any average tree can support its own weight several meters off the ground, then it should come as no surprise that the same fiber structure in microgravity can grow outward for *several dozen kilometers*. For instance, the specimen we're approaching contains six trunks that extend out from the comet nucleus like spokes on a wheel. Their branches are intertwined like so much netting, forming a single spherical canopy nearly 75 kilometers in diameter. Inside the trunks and primary branches are hollow habitats that contain a breathable atmosphere and symbiotic ecology; outside are several gengineered vacuum-adapted ecologies clinging to the bark."

Tenchi studied his companions: Ryoko had seen these wonders before, and was pointedly bored with the lecture; Ayeka had seen such wonders before, too, but watched the approaching tree with eyes colored by nostalgia. He tried to act as nonchalant as they were, but he couldn't help feeling more and more like a country bumpkin staring at his first skyscraper.

"Different species can be genetically tailored to prosper under various wavelengths and radiation levels, so that it is possible to set up nurseries at different distances from the system primary, or in the LaGrangian Points of gas giants. In those star systems that have long-established space trees (like Jurai), whole *forests* of them can be found clustered together in communities of hundreds of trees spread across millions of cubic kilometers of space."

"Simply beautiful," Ayeka whispered.

"Yeah, whatever," Ryoko replied.

"Such trees get their start when a candidate comet is diverted into a suitable orbit and a seed is planted on it. During the first decade the seed will extend its roots into and around the nucleus, after which the primary trunks will begin sprouting through the surface ice. Depending on the make-up of the comet, and its distance from the primary, full growth may take up to a century. However, the average space tree is usually ready for initial habitation within one or two decades. With proper care, it will live for a millennium or longer, even without life-extension technology, and may support a population in the millions."

Tsunami-fune was clearly headed towards one of the docking towers that extended above the foliage deck, escorted by swarms of little vehicles that darted madly about her like schools of fish circling around a whale. As they settled high above the tree limb, Tenchi could clearly see clusters of multicolored lights and trunk-hugging modules of enormous size beneath them. "How many people live here?"

"This tree is only 300 years old," Washu answered, "so the population is just under half a million, give or take a few hundred transients."

"And they all live *inside* the tree trunks?"

"For the most part."

"This reminds me of home," Ayeka said wistfully. "I haven't seen the Tenju in so long..."

"What's the Tenju?" Tenchi asked.

"The 'Heavens Tree'. It is a giant, semi-intelligent tree on Jurai that contains the Royal Palace, as well as the Royal Arboretum and several gardens, all within its trunks. By Earth measure, it is five kilometers wide and one kilometer high."

Tenchi shook his head, marveling once again at Jurai and its fascination with trees.

"Of course," Washu continued, "there are eighty-two more structures just like this one scattered around that star out there..."

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out onto a wide balcony. It stretched away in both directions, hugging the wall of a cavern large enough to hold a battleship. The walkway was lined on one side with doors every few meters, and on the other side with a railing. Beyond the railing, the tops of plants and trees from dozens of worlds could be seen reaching for the distant roof, a riot of colors and blossoms and fragrances. A steady stream of sapients walked, ran, shuffled, and crawled past them on their individual errands.

Tenchi stared slack-jawed at the aliens, Sasami stared intently at the visible gardens, and the rest of the group simply milled about.

"This way, please!" Washu announced, marching away. Ryoko grabbed Tenchi's hand and Ayeka grabbed Sasami's hand, seeing as how both recipients were too distracted to pay much attention to what was going on.

They passed many doors before stopping in front of one, whose translucent surface glowed from the interior lights. There was a plaque on the wall beside the door, etched with symbols and writing in several different languages. Washu touched the plaque, and the door slid open.

It was a meeting room, containing a single long table and a dozen chairs. There were four people already waiting inside, and each group studied the other as Washu lead her entourage in.

Standing opposite the door was a very tall, heavily-muscled woman with skin the color of honey, and cascades of blue-black hair layered across her shoulders like a veil. Her ample breasts and rippling abdominal muscles were encased in a crimson bustier adorned with a stylized golden eagle, and below that a pair of blue shorts sprinkled with white five-pointed stars. Red boots with white trim could be seen starting just below her knees. A bronze tiara, belt, and bracelets cast reflections from the ceiling lights, and a coiled rope of golden cord hung in a loop on her right hip. Though one's initial impression was of beauty and power, it was the calculating focus of her sky-blue eyes that lingered the longest. This woman was a predator.

Beside the colorful Amazon stood an equally-colorful adolescent, a bit shorter and much more slender in build. She had the lanky, knots-for-joints look of the growing teenager, athletic enough to be graceful yet still clumsy in her movements. Her blonde hair spilled onto her shoulders like a golden curtain, whose frequent sway was caused by the side-to-side rocking of her head. She wore a blue shirt whose sleeves hung completely over her wrists and draped across her knuckles. Its bottom hem floated just below her breasts, trimmed with the same yellow stripe as her sleeves and collar, exposing her midriff. A thigh-length crimson cape edged in yellow hung from her shoulders, whose center contained a yellow pentagonal shield with an S-shaped crest, a mere shadow of the red/yellow diamond-S that covered her chest. A blue mini-skirt draped from her hips, a wide yellow belt circled her waist, and red boots with yellow trim completed her costume. Her large blue eyes were doe-like and crystal clear.

The third occupant was also female, a classy-looking brunette as composed and observant as the athlete, and about the same height as the teenager. Although just entering middle-age, she was clearly in excellent physical condition, and her conservative business suit of pin-striped material was cut to flatter her curves. Her eyes glittered with intellectual potency, and her posture (the arch of an eyebrow, the cant of her head, and the set of her shoulders) bespoke a large measure of strength and self-reliance. There was nothing shy and retiring about her; she hung on every word spoken and every movement made. She was obviously used to analyzing each situation and manipulating it to her advantage.

But the Juraians' gaze quickly glossed over the three women for the room's fourth occupant, a commanding male figure who slowly turned to face them. At first they saw only the costume: the blue tights that extended from his wrists to his ankles, slipping inside his knee-high red boots. Red trunks bisected his middle, in turn supported with a wide yellow belt. A long red cape spilled off his shoulders, cascading in sinuous ripples to his calves, where the hem swept about his feet like a crimson surf, more regal than ridiculous. A connection to the teenager was unmistakable: a uniform of common colors and style, though the diamond-S crest on his chest and cape were larger and more pronounced. The man himself had the big-boned, heavily-muscled physique of someone who had worked long hours in the hot sun: massive chest, broad shoulders, brawny arms, bull neck, six-pack abs. His wide head was covered with coal-black hair that was clipped short and peaked by a spit-curl that hung over his brow, and his face was framed in a constant squint. His movements were spare and efficient, slow and considered. His eyes gleamed with curiosity and intelligence. As the Juraians approached the table they became aware of his enveloping charismatic presence, which explained his companions' deference to him, both consciously and unconsciously, in gesture and behavior.

Washu smiled at the man and bowed, speaking a greeting in what sounded like English. He returned the greeting and the bow (which his companions emulated), his voice a slow, deep baritone. The two groups regarded each other briefly, as Washu passed out small objects to each person in the room. She indicated that the objects needed to be inserted into an ear, which the blue-and-red figure did promptly. Everyone else followed suit. "There, that's better. Anyone having problems with their translator?" She looked around the room, at the head shakes and blank looks (which she took as negative responses). "Good. Please be seated."

Each group settled into the closest chairs, with the two men sitting opposite each other. Washu remained standing, waiting until everyone had settled. "On behalf of the Linear League, I want to welcome you all to Vanishing Point. Allow me to introduce everyone: I am Professor Hakubi Washu, one of the consultants for this institution. Just call me Professor Washu. Now, on this side of the table, we have Masaki Tenchi, Kamiki Noike Jurai, Masaki Ayeka Jurai, Masaki Sasami Jurai, Kuramitsu Mihoshi, and Hakubi Ryoko. Tenchi, Noike, Ayeka, and Sasami are members of the Juraian Nobility, Mihoshi is a Detective First Class in the Galaxy Police, and Ryoko is...presently unattached." The latter smiled wanly, which raised grins among her companions. The creature on Sasami's head emitted an indignant "Mew!", which caused the group to chuckle. "Ooops! And the little cabbit is Ryo-Ohki." The cabbit flipped its ears graciously, settling once more into a comfortable coil. "And on this side of the table, we have Clark Kent, his wife Lois Kent, Linda Danvers, and Princess Diana of Themyscria. Clark, Linda, and Diana are all in law enforcement, and Lois is a journalist." There was a modest chuckle from their side of the table at the 'law enforcement' comment.

"And, naturally, you're all wondering why I invited you here." Washu beamed for her captive audience, trying to dispel the initial awkwardness. "Well, I have been overseeing a long-running research program for the last few decades, which involved recording genetic markers across several thousand humanoid species, across many thousands of parallel universes. We have been trying to build a history of the evolution of some of the member races involved in the Linear League. Humans are, quite naturally, included in the survey. I will be releasing our group's findings for general distribution fairly soon, but I have been holding casual briefings for certain high-priority individuals."

"We're 'high-priority individuals'?" Ryoko asked.

"Clark and Tenchi are, yes. The rest of you were included in the invitation as a matter of courtesy, as significant friends and family."

"Oh."

Clark and Tenchi exchanged glances.

"I know my group has no more than a cursory knowledge of galactic history, and I believe Clark's group has even less information."

"We are not one of the main-stream participants in galactic affairs, I'm afraid," Clark said.

"That's quite alright. I just made the statement to explain the lack of supporting details -- I'll save that for the official write-up." Washu grinned, anticipating the academic task waiting for her. "Let me begin by explaining that Clark and Linda are the only known survivors of the planet Krypton, which was destroyed approximately 70 Earth Standard Years ago. Krypton was a very isolated society, having sealed off their solar system for many thousands of years. Their fate has been something of a mystery, especially since they survived much longer in Clark's universe than in our's."

"How much longer?"

"Our Krypton perished approximately 150,000 Earth Standard Years ago," Washu explained.

"I've never heard of Krypton," Mihoshi said. "I don't recall that name in any GP planetary indexes."

"Sure you have; look under the name 'Rao'," Washu replied.

"Rao? But that star system is a wasteland; there's nothing there except an asteroid cloud filled with gigatons of...oh. Never mind."

"My team now believes we can account for some of the Kryptonian history in both universes."

"I would appreciate hearing this," Clark said. Linda nodded in agreement.

"In a nutshell, ladies and gentlemen, we are ALL Kryptonians."

"Excuse me?" Ayeka asked. "Can you explain that?"

"Quite simply, we are all descendents of the planet Krypton. They were around for a very long time, and colonized this whole section of the galaxy. You might have heard of some of their first-tier colonies: Airai, Balouta, Seniwa, Jurai..."

"Washu, are you telling us that *Krypton* was our precursor civilization…?"

"Yes." She watched the faces around her with an amused smiled. "A few facts for your consideration:  
* Krypton spent millennia colonizing the galaxy, directly and by proxy through their descendents. Earth was colonized in one of the subsequent waves late in the game.  
* Kryptonians were *extremely* advanced in gengineering and nanotech. It should come as no surprise, then, that their descendents inherited much of that science. * In our universe, Krypton was destroyed by Tsunami-kami-sama, and the surviving colonies rose to ascendancy to fill the vacuum.  
* In Clark's universe, Krypton survived much longer, remaining in seclusion throughout it's senescent period, before being destroyed by an environmental catastrophe. Its original colonies had been abandoned many centuries earlier, gradually rising to ascendancy to fill the vacuum.  
* Because of the discrepancy in the timelines, our colonies gained independence first, and proceeded along their own evolutionary paths much earlier than the same colonies in Clark's universe. Accordingly, there is a wide variance between them,  
and thus much difficulty making significant comparisons.  
But there can be no doubt: Kryptonians were the first humans."

"Who is Tsunami-kami-sama?" Clark asked.

"A transdimensional entity active in our universe."

"Why did it destroy your Krypton?"

"Unknown. SHE -- not IT -- must have been provoked. Lots of rumors, no solid facts."

Clark sighed and nodded, while his companions watched him discreetly.

"Pardon me," Tenchi said, "but what kind of 'environmental catastrophe' could destroy an entire star system?"

"The sudden appearance, and rapid expansion, of a radioactive and highly unstable element," Washu replied. "It shattered the planet and several moons, all inhabited."

"How dreadful," Ayeka whispered, with nods from Sasami and Mihoshi.

"Now for the specifics on our two high-priority individuals." Washu made a gesture with one hand, and a shadowy keyboard materialized in the space beside her chair. She started typing briskly, and moments later a data-pane appeared in the air above the keyboard. She expanded the pane until it occupied a large portion of the wall behind her.

MASAKI TENCHI ---------------------------

PERSONAL DETAILS  
Race: Juraian  
Gender: Male  
Age: 18 years  
Height: 5'5"  
Weight: N/A  
Eyes: Brown  
Hair: Black

OCCUPATION: Farmer  
MARITAL STATUS: Single  
KNOWN RELATIVES: Due to the fact that Tenchi is a member of a dynastic ruling family, and the Byzantine nature of arranged marriages among the various Great Houses and influential clans that surround the Juraian Throne, it is not inconceivable that he may marry one (or more!) of his own relatives. Thus, the following table attempts to display the political affiliations of his family and consorts (prospective wives), rather than as a pure genealogical chart.

House Masaki -  
Masaki Tennyo (sister)  
Masaki Nobuyuki (father)  
Masaki Rea (stepmother)  
Masaki Kiyone (mother -- deceased)  
Masaki Minaho Jurai* (aunt)  
Masaki Yosho Jurai* (grandfather)  
Masaki Airi (grandmother)  
Masaki Azusa Jurai*, EMPEROR (great-grandfather)  
Masaki Funaho Jurai*, QUEEN (great-grandmother)  
Yotsuga Kazuki (great-great-grandfather)  
Masaki Amame (great-great-grandmother)

House Kamiki -  
Masaki Ayeka Jurai* (Tenchi's Consort)  
Masaki Sasami Jurai* (Tenchi's Consort)  
Masaki Misaki Jurai*, QUEEN (Ayeka's and Sasami's mother)  
Kamiki Noike Jurai* (Tenchi's fiancée, Misaki'sister)  
Kamiki Seto Jurai* (Misaki's and Noike's mother)  
Kamiki Utsutsumi Jurai* (Misaki's and Noike's father)

House Kuramitsu -  
Kuramitsu Mihoshi (Tenchi's Consort)  
Kuramitsu Misao (Mihoshi's brother)  
Kuramitsu Mashisu (Mihoshi's sister-in-law)  
Kuramitsu Mitoto (Mihoshi's mother)  
Kuramitsu Minami (Mihoshi's grandfather)  
Kuramitsu Mikami (Mihoshi's great-aunt)

Clan Hakubi -  
Hakubi Ryoko (Tenchi's Consort)  
Hakubi Washu (Tenchi's Consort)

* The "Jurai" honorific denotes a Noble who has partnered with a Royal Tree.

BASE OF OPERATIONS: Okayama, Japan

OVERVIEW:

You never see it coming, really. Before the chaos started, Tenchi was just an ordinary high school student, 15 years old and living with his father, Nobuyuki, in the city of Okayama. His mother, Kiyone, had passed away when he was six, leaving the boy in the care of his sole over-worked parent. Thus, his childhood was dominated by his father's long absences and the occasional visits from relatives. Every summer the youngster was sent to the countryside to live with his mother's father, the curator at the Masaki Shrine, where he spent his days helping with maintenance, practicing traditional fencing, and learning to cope with his loneliness as best he could.

It was not a terribly onerous existence, however; there were woods and lakes to explore, and other local sites to visit -- including the Demon Cave, rumored to contain the mortal remains of a fierce harpy who had been subdued by one of Tenchi's samurai ancestors. In fact, Tenchi's grandfather possessed the keys that would unlock the rusty iron gate barring access to the ancient cave...a lure which proved irresistible to the curious (and bored) teenager.

And on one fateful day, Tenchi was successful in his attempts to wrestle the keys away from the wily old Shinto priest (some might say that Grandpa Katsuhito actually *gave* the keys to him). Tenchi snuck away and unlocked the gate, finding inside a musty cavern filled with tree roots, stones, and a small shrine containing an ancient sword. By sheer luck...or the hand of Fate...Tenchi accidentally opened a long-sealed door to a passage leading down into the earth, which terminated in a chamber containing a pool of glowing water -- and the desiccated remains of the Demon. Even more astounding, the Demon revived, frightening the boy and causing him to retreat up the passage to the Cave, where he sealed the doorway and ran off.

However, events had been set in motion that, over time, would reveal:  
* The Demon was actually an interstellar terrorist and gengineered life form named Ryoko, who had been hunted down and imprisoned in the Cave 700 years earlier.  
* The act of freeing Ryoko sent a signal into outer space, summoning a living spaceship and its royal passengers, the Princesses Ayeka and Sasami.  
* The girls had been searching for their half-brother Yosho, a renowned warrior, and for Ryoko, who had committed serious crimes against their family and realm. * Tenchi's Samurai ancestor was actually Crown Prince Yosho.  
* ...and Crown Prince Yosho was actually Grandpa Katsuhito!  
* Which meant that Tenchi himself was an alien, part of the Royal Family of the Empire of Jurai.  
* A steady stream of extraterrestrial visitors commenced, the first being Detective Kuramitsu Mihoshi of the Galaxy Police, followed by Ryoko's criminal master Akara Kagato.  
* Tenchi would ultimately defeat Kagato in a duel, freeing his prisoner Hakubi Washu -- noted scientist and Ryoko's creator.  
* Other galactic visitors began visiting the Masaki residence, and Tenchi discovered that he is just the youngest member of a powerful clan.  
* For instance, Tenchi has a sister that has been off-planet since he was a baby, his mother has an older sister, and his grandmother is still alive and well.  
* In fact, advanced medical technology provides vastly-extended lifespans: his sister is 80 years old, his father is 200 years old, and his grandparents are over 700 years old. He can fully expect to live thousands -- perhaps tens of thousands -- of years.  
* Most astounding of all, Tenchi realized that he wields an unbelievable power, whose source is somehow tied to a transdimensional entity who is serving as his protector and patron.

Whether out of loneliness, or a sense of obligation, Tenchi has accepted Ayeka, Mihoshi, Noike, Ryoko, Sasami, and Washu into his home, taking responsibility for their welfare. In essence, they have become his surrogate family. And one by one, each female has responded by voluntarily and enthusiastically becoming part of this family. They have discovered traits in him far more personal and enduring than the power and prestige of his position: he is caring, compassionate, considerate, courageous, courteous, and forgiving. Each galactic female, one way or another, craves and fights for his attention. Consequently, life in the house is frequently loud and destructive: Tenchi's house has literally been torn apart and rebuilt repeatedly. How he tolerates this kind of behavior is anyone's guess.

To date, Tenchi has given no signs of favoring any one of the ladies over another. Given the society which produced him, this is not surprising; traditionally, Japanese marriages are decided by senior family members, so Tenchi may have simply relegated the task of picking a bride to his father and grandfather -- or, as recent events have indicated, to his distant relative Kamiki Seto Jurai.

ORIGIN:

Jurai Planetary Characteristics:

Planet type: Terrestrial Characteristics: Warm (N2, O2 - breathable) Distance from primary star: 1.6E+08 KM -- 1.071 AU Mass: 6.7E+24Kg -- 1.121 Earth masses Surface gravity: 1020.1 cm/sec2 -- 1.04 Earth gees Surface pressure: 1299 millibars -- 1.282 Earth atmospheres Surface temperature: 17.8° Celcius -- +3.8° C Earth temperature Equatorial radius: 6620.2 Km -- 1 Earth radii Density: 5.51 grams/cc -- 1 Earth densities Eccentricity of orbit: 0.084 Escape Velocity: 11.6 Km/sec Axial tilt: 18° Planetary albedo: 0.37 Length of year: 408.74 Earth days (1.12 Earth years) -- 635.03 Local days Length of day: 15.45 hours Boiling point of water: 107.2° Celsius Hydrosphere percentage: 75.4 Cloud cover percentage: 65.3 Ice cover percentage: 2.6

----------------------------

Juraians are technically "human" in the sense that most races in the local region of the galaxy are descended from a single progenitor species. Through expansion, wars, and direct colonization efforts, many habitable worlds were discovered or terraformed by the precursor civilization. With its sudden collapse approximately 150,000 years ago, the constituent segments found themselves isolated and vulnerable to their opportunistic neighbors. Pirate guilds and mercenary coalitions flourished, and it was from one of these groups that the Empire of Jurai was founded. Over time, Jurai's success at absorbing (or eliminating) its competitors brought it great wealth and power -- and respectability; the empire's leading families became genuine royalty to the rest of the galaxy.

It was at this point that the transdimensional entity known as Tsunami made her first appearance to the Juraian nobility, stating that she had sensed a potential within the Juraian king that she had been seeking for a very long time. She agreed to protect him and his heirs while waiting for this potential to reach fruition. It appears from recent events that Masaki Tenchi is the culmination of this long-lived breeding program. As a consequence, Tsunami provided the first Royal Tree (LINK: THE ROYAL TREES OF JURAI), Ouke-no-ki, which produced four or more subsequent generations. Each Tree is able to draw down energy from subspace in terawatt volumes, as well as manipulating subspace directly, making them incredibly powerful weapons when mounted aboard mobile platforms -- which is just what the Juraians have been doing for millennia. Specifically: selected representatives of the Juraian aristocracy have been invited by individual Royal Trees to enter into symbiotic bonds, the human partners coming exclusively from the four Great Houses (the Masaki, Kamiki, Amaki, and Tatsuki). The consequent fusion of subspace manipulation and old-fashioned human ambition gave the Juraians an overwhelming strategic advantage.

Approximately 20,000 years ago, Jurai became embroiled in a cold war with the Seniwa Alliance for domination of the transhuman hegemony, which later became institutionalized as the Galaxy Union. Jurai became the dominant human power, but lost control over a number of institutions, such as the Royal Science Academy (which became the Galaxy Academy) and the Galaxy Police (which appears to be primarily an organ of the Seniwa Alliance, since the Grand Marshall is currently a high-ranking Seniwa noble). Relations between the two nations are still strained.

Also of relevance is the planet Airai. Airai is the world with the greatest concentration of precursor artifacts and relative technology. Airai is also the center of the largest religion in human space, which is dedicated to the search for a 'true god'. They believe that Tsunami is one of three Chôshin "Great Goddesses" or "Three Lives"), and are convinced that Jurai is selfishly keeping her to themselves. The Airaians thus plan to gain access to and 'acquire' Tsunami. (But not by brute force: they prefer diplomatic and covert methods, as illustrated by the betrothal of Magma Airi, the daughter of king Magma Gaira, to a member of House Amaki of Jurai. By doing so, they hoped to someday have an Airaian on the throne of Jurai. Instead, Airi had an affair with Masaki Yosho Jurai and later married him, producing two daughters and two grandchildren.) The Juraians do not see Tsunami as a god to be worshipped, though they certainly regard her with a great deal of circumspection, due to the long-standing contractual relationship that Tsunami has with the Juraian Great Houses.

Masaki Tenchi is at the very center of a military, political, and metaphysical nexus. From a military perspective.  
* Tenchi has demonstrated powers comparable to a First Generation Royal Tree without the need to partner with one.  
* Members of Tenchi's family on Earth partnered with Royal Trees include:  
o Kamiki Noike Jurai / Kyoko-fune o Masaki Ayeka Jurai / Ryu-oh-fune o Masaki Sasami Jurai / Tsunami-fune, the Genesis Tree o Masaki Yosho Jurai / Funaho-fune * Other individuals on Earth endowed with great potential include:  
o Hakubi Ryoko (rehabilitating accomplice of the notorious Akara Kagato)  
o Hakubi Washu (noted technologist and cybernecist)  
o Kuramitsu Mihoshi (granddaughter of the lineage-holder of House Kuramitsu)  
* Thus, there is enough firepower present in the Masaki residence to obliterate entire solar systems. From a political perspective.  
* Tenchi is the great-grandson of Masaki Azusa Jurai, Emperor of Jurai.  
* Tenchi is the great-grandson of Magma Gaira, King of Airai.  
* Tenchi is very high in the Line of Succession of *both* nations.  
* Tenchi has won the hearts and loyalty of his influential and powerful consorts:  
o Noike -- marriage to her would strengthen bonds between House Kamiki and House Masaki.  
o Ayeka and Sasami -- marriage to them provides further incentive to side with Jurai in potential future conflicts (or just as importantly, not oppose Jurai). o Ryoko -- marriage to her constrains further acts of aggression on such a successful scale (or funnels that talent against more valuable targets.  
o Washu -- marriage to her increases the odds that she will provide technological assistance to Jurai (or, just as importantly, not aiding Jurai's enemies.  
o Mihoshi -- marriage to her further strengthens the ties between GP and Jurai (as well as cementing ties with the powerful Kuramitsu family.  
* Tenchi represents a new and unpredictable powerbase within the borders of the Empire. From a metaphysical perspective.  
* Tenchi appears to be the apogee of a transdimensional process that has required hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of years to complete (Tsunami has offered neither explanations nor descriptions, but it is certain that her attention is now fully focused on him).

MATERIAL CONVERSION:

Masaki Tenchi has been witnessed generating Ko-oh-yoku -- the only life-form outside of the Juraian Royal Trees to exhibit this capability. Ko-oh-yoku are shadows of higher dimensional constructs; while they don't exist in base reality (typical appearance being that of luminescent phantom forms), they do have a profound effect on local spacetime frames. And, since Ko-oh-yoku are manifestations of extradimensional power, it is the number of blades that is significant: the amount of power that it takes for a being to create a single blade is considerable; each additional blade requires an exponential amount of power beyond that required for the previous one. Thus.  
* Five Ko-oh-yoku blades require 31 times more power than a single blade.  
* Ten Ko-oh-yoku blades require 63 times more power than five blades.  
* Ten Ko-oh-yoku blades require 1023 times more power than a single blade.  
And while not technically classified as a weapon, their primary usage to-date has been under confrontational conditions. Ko-oh-yoku have two modes of operation: in offensive mode they are capable of projecting energy in highly organized structures (beams, rods, wings, spheres, etc.); in defensive mode they do not block or disrupt incoming energy attacks but convert them to harmless formats. Tenchi's configuration presents hitherto unknown properties: the astonishing ability to convert matter-to-energy and energy-to-matter without any entropic side effects.

Specific examples:

* At the climax of his duel with Akara Kagato aboard the starship Souja, Tenchi summoned three Ko-oh-yoku which he used to block an energy blast projected by Kagato -- a blast that was powered by the combination of Kagato's/Souja's personal resources (used earlier to destroy the Royal Tree Ryu-oh) and energy drawn from other transdimensional sources. Tenchi subsequently performed material conversion by using two of the Ko-oh-yoku to encase himself in energized armor, while the third was converted into a two-handed sword. Realizing that he now faced an opponent with resources at parity with his own, Kagato promptly unleashed another energy blast. Tenchi countered this by converting Ko-oh-yoku energy into a shield that deflected the blast harmlessly to the sides, filling the chamber with smoke and plasma. Now enraged, Kagato deployed Souja's AI control crystals in a direct assault on the Juraian prince. Tenchi's response was the immediate conversion of the sword back into an energy arc and directing it at the crystals, destroying them all. Kagato's final assault was a forward rush, brandishing his own energy sword. Tenchi met this attack by converting his shield into energy, and that energy into another sword. Both combatants struck each other with killing blows; however, whereas Kagato was unable to heal the damage caused by Tenchi's strike, Tenchi's power of material conversion was successful in regenerating the injuries caused by Kagato's armor-piercing cut. Having suffered a mortal wound, Kagato stood up and turned off his energy blade...and moments later his essence dispersed.

* Tenchi and his companions had been trapped in the aft section of a starship belonging to the Juraian renegade scientist Dr. Clay. The latter then abandoned his ship by jettisoning the command module -- but not before he gave the necessary instructions that initiated a chain reaction in the ship's engineering core, collapsing it into a microscopic singularity (i.e., a black hole with a Schwarzschild radius on the order of a few nanometers -- sufficient to destroy all evidence in the immediate vicinity). It is while accelerating away from the shredding remains of his ship that Dr. Clay's instruments alerted him that the gravitational constant of local space was changing -- and the singularity was evaporating right before his eyes. Indeed, the black hole was shedding great swaths of energy, and a Ko-oh-yoku spherical shield could be seen orbiting above the event horizon. Tenchi and his companions were observed inside the "bubble", apparently unaffected by the tidal stresses and time dilations of the Schwarzschild radius. Dr. Clay drew the obvious conclusions: due to the near-infinite gravimetric forces at the event horizon, the energy required to escape would be near-infinite...yet, Tenchi was clearly changing reality, undoing the black hole by releasing the energy and mass trapped within it. Ergo, either he was manipulating infinite energy or he was operating extradimensionally, outside the laws of this reality. Fortunately, Dr. Clay was soon intercepted and apprehended by the authorities, and Tenchi transported his colleagues to safety.

Observations:

* Tenchi's control of his Ko-oh-yoku is not keyed to anything physical; all attempts to pinpoint their source have so far failed, and they don't appear to affect his physical body. Thus, he can wield all of that power, heal himself, etc., yet their origin remains undetectable. This confirms their extradimensional nature.

* Tenchi has only been seen projecting three Ko-oh-yoku at any given time. There is no indication that this is the maximum number he is capable of handling. Theoretically, he could summon any number necessary to deal with a situation -- and since the source of energy for these Ko-oh-yoku is higher dimensional, the amount of energy at his disposal may be considered *infinite*.

* The competence with which Tenchi wields such power, and in so brief a time frame, is nothing short of miraculous. Where did he acquire the knowledge to summon Ko-oh-yoku, and then how use their energy to construct real, physical objects (in such diverse formats as flesh-and-bone, arms, and armor), or how to dissipate a singularity?

* Tenchi's power appears to be directly keyed to his imagination: for instance, his sword and shield did not reflect the influence of his native Japanese culture; rather, they assumed forms more reminiscent of his mythical samurai ancestor, Yosho, in his fight with the Sky Demon.

* Tenchi's control of his Ko-oh-yoku seems only partial at best, and appears only at times of extreme danger or provocation. With a projected lifespan well into the *tens of thousands* of years (due to Juraian medical technology and the healing capabilities of his material conversion), it is expected that further integration will occur over time, as he matures physically and mentally.

"Could you display that link to the 'Royal Trees of Jurai' as well?" Clark asked.

"Sure," Washu replied, fingers tapping her keyboard. Another pane appeared beside the first.

T H E R O Y A L T R E E S O F J U R A I ---------------------------------------------------------------------

At the mention of a "wooden spaceship," any astronautical engineer worth his/her salt is going to cringe reflexively. The very idea of substituting wooden planks for metal sheets is going to raise a sneer, decrying the disadvantageous of wood: susceptibility to heat, the penalties of weight, a porous surface which will leak air and water, the fact that structural damage will spread along the grain by splitting, boiling, leaking and warping, etc.

At the mention of a "wooden spaceship," any genetic engineer worth his/her salt is much more likely to respond with curiosity. The very idea of substituting wooden planks for metal sheets is going to be approached as an intriguing puzzle, with suggestions like: genengineer the tree's natural fibers to perform similarly to synthetically produced fibers, employing an inner lattice work for strength, weight, and basic form, treat the finished bark with high temperatures and high-tech lacquers, etc.

At the mention of a "wooden spaceship," any member of the Juraian Nobility will simply shrug his/her shoulders, and say something like, "Been there, done that." Then they will point you towards the Royal Arboretum and its population of Royal Trees -- or point to the sky, where the Tree Ships will be found.

OVERVIEW:

* The first Royal Tree, Ouke-no-ki (the 'Genesis Tree' or the 'Tree of the Beginning'), was created by the transdimensional entity Tsunami...perhaps a consequence of altering an existing tree by assimilating with it, perhaps brought from another universe, or perhaps simply creating it from scratch. Either way, it has had a profound effect on Juraian culture (and, consequently, its neighbors) for the last 150,000 years.

* Each Tree begins as a seed that has been planted in a container with an expansive subspace volume, which is then filled with the "Waters of Life", an aqueous solution that provides nutrients and water as well as protection from the vagaries of soil composition, fungus, and pests. Throughout its life cycle, its outward physical appearance is not much different from common Angiospermae (hardwood trees with enclosed seeds). Like normal trees, it possess three component structures: the root system, which anchors the Tree and gathers nourishment; the support network, consisting of the trunk and branches; and the leafy canopy, which gathers sunlight and performs photosynthesis and respiration. However, a Royal Tree has a fourth component: the subspace web, which resembles the same ramous arrangement seen in the roots and limbs, and performs extensive energy exchanges "outside" of 3-D spacetime.

* The subspace web has many properties, the foremost being the ability to generate subspace "bubbles". (Though hard to visualize how this is accomplished, it may help to imagine that at the very tip of one of its subspace tendrils, the Tree causes a swelling, much like an expanding balloon, that will continue until the desired size is reached. Then the connection is severed, producing the new subspace bubble.) Each Tree is capable of generating multiple subspace bubbles at once, whether widely distant, closely paired or overlapping. Each Tree is also capable of collapsing an existing bubble, flushing its contents into real space in a controlled or uncontrolled manner.

* When the Tree reaches the sapling stage, certain tendencies will begin to emerge, such as its personality, its capabilities, and its goals. The Trees possess an innate capability to bond with another sapient; however, choosing a physically and emotionally compatible candidate is a daunting task (this is made even more restrictive by the political necessity of filling the short list only with members of the four ruling clans). On those rare occurances when a match occurs, the Tree telepathically summons the human, and the alliance is sealed. The vast majority of Trees do not choose companions, and will spend the remainder of their days pursuing other interests, securely within the tightly knit community of their peers -- and providing Jurai with assistance in national priorites such as defense, etc.

* Generally speaking, human candidates for Partnership have already been processed through some form of bioengineered enhancement program, whether the generic GP version or the more-advanced Juraian version. These regimens drastically augment native capacities for strength, speed, and resiliency. They may even have an effect on psionic skills -- notably telepathy -- as these are the abilities that are amplified by the Tree.

* At the Bonding Ceremony, a formal partnership is established that defines the telepathic connection between the participants (as opposed to a merger, or blending, of the minds and personalities). The partnership is for life (and should the Juraian partner die before the Tree does, the latter will be moved from the Core Unit and transplanted into soil, settling permanently into one place, as a memorial). Additionally, the Juraian partner is given a branch from the Tree, from which a Key is carved. The Key is still a living portion of the Tree, an "extended organ," connected to the main body via subspace filaments. In appearance, the Key will resemble an item of significance to the partner, such as a comb or a tiara. In function, the Key serves as a focusing device for the Juraian, as well as a tracking device and energy conduit for the Tree. This auxiliary channel exists an an adjunct to the telepathic link with the partner.

* Over time, the partner may carve supplemental artifacts from Royal Trees branches, and distribute them to other humans. Because each artifact is a semi-sapient, semi-intelligent tool, capable of limited independent decision-making, it monitors the physical condition and immediate environment of its human host -- and will take action when that host is threatened.

* Only those Trees that have partners become candidates for transplanting to a mobile environment, and construction begins on its lozenge-shaped Core Unit. This structure averages 50 meters in diameter, is focused upon the Tree, which inhabits the very center (with sufficient room for the Tree to grow), and provides its environmental needs. There is a gallery around the Tree containing subspace portals/teleport pads into the subspace bubbles that the Tree projects around it. The Core Unit also contains the realspace and hyperspace drivers, weapons, sensors, and other mechanical connections. But most importantly, the Core Unit contains the interfaces and controllers that regulates the Tree's power.

* Various modules are manufactured by Juraian engineers for inclusion in the ship's subspace structures, the largest being the residence module. This structure can be massive -- kilometers in diameter -- a self-sustaining vivarium filled with a wide range of Juraian flora and fauna (and almost always including one of the Juraian 20-story high supertrees). Other modules will be specific for the ship's operating systems, such as the Bridge. Once these modules are completed (whether assembled 'on-site' in subspace or built in realspace and transferred into subspace), the Tree establishes connections to their subspace locations and the engineers establish physical links to their respective portals within the Core Unit. (Note: It is well to remember that the ship does not "drag along" an assortment of subspace bubbles wherever it goes, as though it were a multispacial cluster of grapes; rather, the ship is literally a collection of "flying doorways" centered around the Royal Tree.)

* No one but the Tree physically resides aboard the Core Unit, and there is only one permanent crewmember: the partner. The presence of any other passengers is either dictated by the mission (whether diplomatic, training, or military), or at the invitation of the partner. So, at any single moment, the ship may be hosting large numbers of guests (such as administrators, ambassadors, bureaucrats, engineers, scientists, security personnel), or absolutely no one at all.

* Attached to the exterior of the Core Unit will be a series of focusing lenses and aerials for the Tree, much like the harness of a sleigh for the horse that pulls it. These structures are organic, generally composed of treated wood (harvested from specially-shaped branches of the giant Juraian supertrees) and ultra-tech composites, and are unique to each ship...which stands to reason, since each Tree and its Juraian partner will have a distinctive expression/personality. Sometimes these structures are partially or completely covered with alloy plating (this also appears to be aesthetic expression, rather than a functional requirement).

* Weapons and shields in the Core Unit are of standard design, but are so massively-powered by the Tree (somewhere in the high-terawatt range) that they rival planetary equivalents in capability.

* If the Core Unit (and thus the Tree) is damaged or destroyed, crewmembers caught within the modules will be sealed inside, since the connections maintained by the Tree will be terminated (the portals can be reopened after connecting elsewhere, thus providing an avenue of escape). Crewmembers caught aboard the Core Unit will employ conventional systems (such as teleport pads and lifeboats) to escape from the vessel. Even though it is difficult to imagine something powerful enough to obliterate a Royal Tree, it has happened on several occasions.

* Subspace bubble properties: (i) since they exist outside spacetime, they are not visible to any but the most specialized instruments, (ii) the volume enclosed by a bubble is dependent upon the amount of energy used to create it, (iii) the interior volume of a bubble is initially lightless and weightless until realspace objects are introduced, (iv) the boundary region of a bubble is porous to matter and energy, making egress simple -- assuming you can locate the bubble and open a portal into it, (v) bubbles can be multiply-connected, that is, a single bubble can become a "tunnel" or "doorway" between two widely divergent points in realspace by opening multiple portals into it, or by connecting multiple subspaces together like a "necklace", and (vi) time appears to pass at the same rate in subspace as in realspace, likely due to the fact that it is a sub-attribute of the universe proper.

* The technology to access subspace is not widely used in human space, due to the prohibitive cost and complexity...but the Trees have surmounted these issues because the functionality is a basic part of their metabolism. And, while the Trees are able to take advantage of the full spectrum of subspace-related attributes, their Juraian hosts have concentrated on two specific aspects: the tremendous amount of energy that they are able to draw from subspace, and the ability to generate subspace bubbles. Juraian navy engineers have long-since learned how to convert subspace energy into usable formats, and Juraian Navy strategists have long since learned how to exploit subspace pockets.

* The standard method of transit beyond 3-D space is by "jumping" into hyperspace; the Tree Ships' primary method of transit is by subspace "tunneling." The difference between hyperspace and subspace is more than simple semantics, or a disagreement between physics and mathematics.

o A starship's hyperdrive creates a hyperspatial pocket around the vessel. This pocket behaves much like the wings of a flying fish, supporting the body in a "foreign" environment as it glides faster above the surface of the sea than it could swimming the same distance beneath the surface. The life expectancy of the pocket is in direct proportion to the amount of energy used to create it. Once the energy is depleted, the hyperspacial pocket collapses and the ship returns to realspace. Thus, travel is not instaneous but the vessel can effectively exceed the speed of light.

o A subspace tunnel is a more-or-less permanent connection between two (or more) disparate realspace coordinates via a subspace bubble. The amount of energy required to create the portals varies according to the amount of distance between the two points, but the transit time is practically nil. This is a very expensive means of traveling (energy-wise), but the incredibly high levels of energy that a Royal Tree can generate makes this a perfectly reasonable way to travel, provided that you know the 3-D spacial coordinates of where you want to go. Another advantage is that you don't have to exit the tunnel and can simply 'park' in subspace until you choose to exit.

So, the differences can be summed up as follows: hyperspace "jumping" is a traveling pocket with relatively low up-front costs and performance relative to power output; subspace "tunneling" is a near-instanteous connection between two points with high up-front costs but relatively miniscule maintenance costs (entropic offset).

* Subspace "tunneling" also offsets the prohibitive economic penalties with the degree of stealth that it provides. Military strategists have been able to resurrect much of the ancient lore on submarine warfare and apply it to the Tree Ships:

o One sample tactical scenario: "The Wolf Pack." Here, the Tree Ship and an escort squadron lurk in a subspace bubble, stalking their quarry "from the shadows." The Tree opens a portal into realspace just large enough for the insertion of a probe or monitoring package, whose diminutive size makes it -- and the squadron -- virtually undetectable. At the opportune moment, the Tree opens the portal and moves the ship into realspace, neutralizing any/all threats immediately and decisively prior to the emergence of the escort vessels.

o Another ancient technique is the "torpedo", where a subspace pocket containing nothing but a high explosive is attached to a realspace point *inside* an enemy vessel; once the bubble is collapsed, the warhead is flushed into realspace behind the target's hull and shields.

* Other capabilities of a Royal Tree:  
o Extensive library/data storage system.  
o Can place people/objects into stassis.  
o Fully equipped to apply body strengthening and life extension processes to humans.  
o Able to project and maintain holograms locally.  
o Each artifact possesses some energy storage functionality, i.e., battery back-up. o Though each Tree is fully independent, it is networked to the entire arboreal community, which facilitates the sharing of information and power, which becomes even more significant when the Trees collaborate with each other as supercomputers.

* These ships have been used in a variety of crisis support roles in the past: mass evacuations, temporary power generators, troop transports, and the like. But their primary mission is power projection, whether diplomatic or military.

KO-OH-YOKU:

Aside from the subspace-manipulation properties of the Royal Trees, they exhibit one other startling capability: the Genesis Tree and its immediate descendents are the only known life form (except for Masaki Tenchi LINK: MASAKI TENCHI ) able to generate Ko-oh-yoku ("Lighthawk Wings" or "Aura of Kami"). Ko-oh-yoku are shadows of higher dimensional constructs; while they don't exist in base reality (typical appearance being that of luminescent phantom forms), they do have a profound effect on local spacetime frames. And while not technically classified as a weapon, their primary usage to-date has been under confrontational conditions. Ko-oh-yoku have two modes of operation: in "offensive" mode they draw energy from higher dimensional sources and dump it into local structures (beams, rods, wings, spheres, etc.); in "defensive" mode they absorb energy from local sources and transfer it into higher dimensions, converting it into harmless formats. Put simply, Ko-oh-yoku are two-way conduits for energy transfers, into and out of higher dimensional spaces, whose sheer magnitude have prodigious effects on our reality -- each Ko-oh-yoku has energy limits measured in the stellar range.

Such a multidimensional capability is almost certainly directly attributable to Tsunami, above and beyond the base capabilities of the Trees to access subspace. However, the ability to generate Ko-oh-yoku, and the ability to communicate directly with Tsunami, appears to be subject to a hierarchical structure that diminishes with distance from the source (i.e., the Genesis Tree can project ten Ko-oh-yoku, while its first and second generations can only project three each, and subsequent generations must combine their resources to project Ko-oh-yoku). This is reflected in the number of Ko-oh-yoku blades a Tree is able to project: the amount of power that it takes to create a single blade is considerable; each additional manifestation requires an exponential amount of power beyond that required for the previous one. Thus, if we consider 1 blade a baseline of 1 unit of energy....

* 01 blade requires 1 unit of energy.  
* 02 blades require 2 + 1 = 3 units of energy.  
* 03 blades require 4 + 2 + 1 = 7 units of energy.  
* 04 blades require 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 15 units of energy.  
* 05 blades require 16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 31 units of energy.  
* 06 blades require 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 63 units of energy.  
* 07 blades require 64 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 127 units of energy.  
* 08 blades require 128 + 64 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 255 units of energy.  
* 09 blades require 256 + 128 + 64 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 511 units of energy.  
* 10 blades require 512 + 256 + 128 + 64 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 1023 units of energy.

"Who *dared* to post these files?" demanded an outraged Ayeka. "The details of the Royal Trees -- and especially Tenchi -- are Top Secret, and releasing that information is pure treason!"

"Well, for starters, *I* wrote these summaries," Washu replied with a shrug. She silenced her sputtering comrade with a gesture. "Do you think I'd willingly put anyone -- particularly Tenchi -- at risk?"

"Calm down, Ayeka," Noike added. "Think about it: this is a research facility, staffed by sapients from a host of different universes -- not just planets, not just galaxies, but *universes* -- and unless you have transdimensional technology, and know precisely where to look, you will never find this place. The information is safer here that it will ever be back home."

Ayeka grumbled, mollified but not content.

"Well," purred Ryoko, "that little summary just proves how impressive our Tenchi really is."

"And now for Clark," Washu said.

"This should prove interesting," Lois added.

A few taps on her keyboard, and a third data pane appeared behind Washu, expanding to the same size as the previous two.

S U P E R M A N --------------------------

PERSONAL DETAILS:  
Race: Kryptonian  
Gender: Male  
Age: ~30 years  
Height: 6-2  
Weight: 225 lbs.  
Eyes: Blue  
Hair: Black

ALTER EGO: Clark Kent (Earth), Kal-El (Krypton)  
OCCUPATION: Newspaper reporter, columnist, novelist  
MARITAL STATUS: Married, to Lois Lane Kent  
KNOWN RELATIVES:  
CLARK KENT:  
Lois Lane Kent (wife)  
Jonathan Kent (adopted father)  
Martha Kent (adopted mother)  
Harry Kent (adopted uncle)  
Sarah Kent (adopted aunt)  
Lind Danvers (cousin*  
Sam Lane (father-in-law)  
Ella Lane (mother in-law)  
Ronald Troupe (brother-in-law,  
Lucy Lane Troupe (sister-in-law)

KAL-EL:  
Jor-El (father -- deceased)  
Zor-El (uncle -- deceased)  
Kon-El (cousin -- deceased)  
Seyg-El (grandfather -- deceased)  
Ter-El (great-grandfather -- deceased)  
Don-El (great-great-grandfather -- deceased)  
Lara Lor-Van (mother -- deceased)  
Nara Lor-Van (great-grandmother -- deceased)  
Kara Zor-El (cousin)*

** Linda Danvers/Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, is Superman's cousin. (Since Kryptonian women appended their fathers' full names to their surnames, her complete name is Kara Zor-El, daughter of Zor-El, the younger brother of Jor-El, and his wife Alura.) Kara's experiences mirror those of Superman (i.e., a product of the same experimental program), although she was deployed from the habitat Argos, one of the oldest colonies in Krypton's solar system. Her ship spent decades jumping from star system to star system, working its way down the candidate target list. Once it had entered the Sol system, however, and detected the transponder signal from Kal-El's shuttle, it determined that it could finally complete it's mission. So it landed at the Kent Farm in Smallville, Kansas. John and Martha Kent adopted the infant alien, explaining to the local community that she is a niece on Jonathan's side of the family (parents Fred and Edna Danvers, recently deceased). Supergirl has powers that are similar to Superman's, but because she is only half his age, those powers are only now beginning to manifest.

GROUP AFFILIATION: Justice League of America  
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Metropolis, USA

OVERVIEW:

Few sapients have left such a pronounced legacy on the history of one world as Kal-El of Krypton has had on the planet Earth. Superman is a highly evolved, genetically enhanced, sentient life form from the planet Krypton. One of the last survivors of his homeworld, he was transported to Earth as an infant, where he grew up to understand and accept the awesome responsibility of his superpowers.

He is charismatic; his very presence commands respect and attention. He is a true hero, with a spirit strong enough to endure all manner of personal and physical crises. As a role model, he prompted the genesis of a generation of heroes such as Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), the Flash (Barry Allen) and the Atom (Ray Palmer), as well as the appearance of new heroes such as the Martian Manhunter and Metamorpho. He has always been a reserve member of the Justice League, and has in the past served as its leader.

ORIGIN:

Krypton Planetary Characteristics:

Planet type: Terrestrial Characteristics: High-G, Warm, Cloudy, Thick atmosphere (N2, He, O2 - breathable) Distance from primary star: 2.3E+08 KM -- 1.553 AU Mass: 1.3E+25Kg -- 2.177 Earth masses Surface gravity: 1290.5 cm/sec2 -- 1.32 Earth gees Surface pressure: 4001 millibars -- 3.948 Earth atmospheres Surface temperature: 21.5° Celsius -- +7.5° C Earth temperature Equatorial radius: 8202.1 Km -- 1.3 Earth radii Density: 5.63 grams/cc -- 1 Earth densities Eccentricity of orbit: 0.191 Escape Velocity: 14.5 Km/sec Axial tilt: 33° Planetary albedo: 0.51 Length of year: 645.39 Earth days (1.77 Earth years) -- 1159.23 Local days Length of day: 13.36 hours Boiling point of water: 142.4° Celcius Hydrosphere percentage: 78.2 Cloud cover percentage: 93.4 Ice cover percentage: 0.4

Kryptonian Physiology:  
* The Kryptonian baseline adult height measured between 1.3-1.7 meters, including gender differences * Skin pigmentation was confined to a modest range (where visible beneath the short, dense fur.  
* A typical Kryptonian massed between 120-190 kg. (females being endowed with slighter frames, but not by much.  
* Exterior sexual organs tended to be small, as pendulous structures were very uncomfortable in the higher gravity. * A high percentage of body mass consisted of skeletal tissue, since bones were thick and dense. * The Kryptonian frame was very heavily muscled. The average baseline adult could lift almost twice their own weight over his/her head.  
* Kryptonians were resistant to impacts; the toughest could withstand chemically propelled small-caliber projectiles. * Kryptonians were surprisingly graceful for their size, but this had less to do with innate coordination than with learning to move carefully (see below). Their low centers of gravity gave them excellent balance.  
* The most unusual Kryptonian feature was psychological rather than physical: they had a powerful fear of heights. This might seem pathological to those who are used to standard gravity, but such a fear is perfectly reasonable for high-gravity natives. On most Kryptonian-settled worlds, a fall from as little as eight meters was usually fatal. The Kryptonian fear of falling also extended to having things fall on them. All movements thus were cautious and deliberate. * Kryptonian physiology was adapted to withstand both high gravity and high ambient pressure. They were comfortable in environments ranging from 1.2-2.5G and 1.5-3.5 atmospheres.  
* Kryptonians were prone to vertigo when in (to them) low pressure environments. Most wore respirators when traveling in areas where the ambient pressure was less than 1.5 atmospheres. * Living in such dense air, which conducts sound very well, necessitated a hearing system that had an increased tolerance for loud noises.

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The planet Krypton once orbited a red dwarf star, third of seven planets in the system. It was, in fact, very much like Earth in size and temperament. It's inhabitants had evolved over the eons to build an impressive interstellar civilization, recognized throughout the galaxy for its advanced technology and culture. However, like every other society that has ever existed, it eventually reached its zenith and began the long decline into senescence. Despite its incredible advances in biology and genetics, much of the adventurous spirit of the past had leeched away, and the society as a whole retreated to its native solar system and deployed squadrons of Eradicators (AI sentries keyed to Kryptonian genetics) to isolate the star system from the rest of the universe.

Most citizens were content with this state of seclusion, but others were concerned that the society could wither away completely. One such group had waged a massive campaign to recall the Eradicators and re-establish contact with the far-flung network of Kryptonian colonies. The debate gained new imperatives, however, with the sudden appearance of the strange "Green Death" (a radical fusing of elements into a new radioactive compound) that was poisoning every biosphere in their solar system. Many were convinced that a new and unstoppable plague had been unleashed upon them, by accident or design, and that the continuous synthesis of this "kryptonite" would cause a chain reaction that would destroy whole planets.

While the source of the scourge (and a remedy) was sought after, and evacuation plans were generated, other back-up contingencies were considered: plans were quickly drawn-up for sophisticated shuttles to be built, each carrying a fertilized egg, artificial womb, and computers designed to adapt the passenger to fit into whatever conditions would be found at the destination. Many leading members of society were recruited as genetic doners, the archives were combed for candidate target worlds, and the first series of protoypes were actually constructed. A score of these shuttles were launched before the catastrophic kryptonite explosions commenced, causing the near-extinction of an ancient and noble race.

The craft bearing Kal-El was programmed to head for our solar system, where it eventually landed on the Smallville, Kansas, USA farm of Martha and Jonathan Kent. Finding a seemingly-normal infant boy in the shuttle, they rescued him and took him to the authorities, filing a petition to adopt the refugee. The child was christened Clark, after Martha's maiden name.

SUPERPOWERS:

Superman appears to be "normal" at first glance; however, closer examination will reveal that he has a very "abnormal" constitution: his cellular structure is more dense, resilient and biologically more effective than standard human parameters. He is much stronger and hardier than a homo sapiens of equivalent height and weight. But even these qualities cannot account for his extended abilities (i.e., his "superpowers"). These stem from a remarkable (and almost certainly gengineered) energy-management structure:

(1) His bioplasmic envelope (i.e., his "aura") acts as a hyper-efficient energy collection device. This field is constantly reclaiming stray electromagnetic energies from the environment and funneling them into enhanced proteins (see below). It is invisible to the naked eye, extends at least a millimeter beyond his skin, and follows the contours of his body. It is also quite flexible, in that the field can be temporarily suppressed or expanded for considerable distances, and maintained is this posture for extended periods of time.

(2) He possesses a cluster of extra organs, which are believed to be the source of a superdense cellular protein whose function is the storage of radiant energy in multiple formats, which can then be broken down and turned into biochemical energy. This metaprotein is what powers Superman's long-term endurance and is restored slowly. The linkage works both directions: the metaprotein can release energy in a "burst mode", dumping vast quantities into his aura.

(3) This linked biomatrix field/metaprotein complex has many impressive aspects. In practical terms, it:  
* Is hyper-efficient, in that there is almost no electromagnetic waste: almost 100% of its radiation-harnessed energies are recycled. * Has the ability to alter the electrogravitic properties of all mass present within the field, by adjusting the electrostatic scalar potentials and producing relativistic effects (such as energy changes, mass changes, inertial resistance changes, etc.  
* Resists kinetic penetration by high-velocity objects, ranging in scale from the microscopic to the macroscopic. He is nearly impervious to standard projectile-based weapons technology, and (fully powered) could likely survive a close-proximity (but not direct) nuclear strike. * Is able to prevent the escape of breathable gasses (for up to 30 minutes) during those times when he is exposed to vacuum or submerged under water.  
* Is able to resist extremes of heat and cold, allowing him un-protected access to everything from deep space (near absolute zero) to solar proximity (millions of degrees) without adverse consequences.  
* Provides the reactionless thrust which permits him to hover and fly -- and by expanding the biomatrix field, transfers that condition to other objects -- at speeds in excess of Mach 10 in atmosphere. His control of his flight is perfect and he can perform a wide array of aerobatic maneuvers.  
* Allows him to "lift" incredibly heavy objects, augmenting his physical strength by a factor of 12,000 times or more (the upper limit to this "superstrength" is not known, but he could conceivably lift objects weighing in excess of 100,000 tons). Even more remarkable is the fact that these objects do not collapse under their own weight -- since the biomatrix field affects every element of an object, a form of "stassis" protects the entire structure from outside stresses. This explains how he can lift whole buildings off of their foundations, as well as catching a person safely in mid-air without snapping their spine. * Can be focused tightly, subjecting the volume of enclosed space to pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, or telekinesis. Superman attributes these effects to "heat vision", "superbreath", and "superstrength" respectively. It is probable that the actual association has more to do with visualization of his intention, rather than specific application of the biomatrix field.  
* Augments his natural sensory suite...somehow. Superman is able to induce hyperesthesia -- clairvoyance and clairaudience -- at will, with "superlative" calibration. Again, he attributes these phenomena to physical abilities: telescopic/microscopic/x-ray vision for the former, and superhearing for the latter, when he is actually manipulating aspects of the biomatrix field.

(4) No one, not even Superman, is completely indestructible or invincible; his biomatrix field has some severe limitations:  
* Its efficiency varies across the electromagnetic spectrum. The field "slows down" under a red sun, for instance, quickly losing processing capacity; while under a yellow sun the field will operate at near 100% effectiveness.  
* It is porous at certain wavelengths; radiation with specific electromagnetic or extradimensional signatures will penetrate his aura without being metabolized -- and which are, perhaps, even being amplified by the biofield itself (the most obvious example of this is kryptonite, which is radioactive on several levels, and which induces radiation poisoning). * It is rendered partially inert by certain substances, such as lead (which blocks aspects of his hyperesthesia.  
* It can be overloaded at individual points. Thus, he can be harmed by high energy weapons such as lasers and plasma weapons, and by high velocity projectiles with sufficient kinetic energy, that concentrate tremendous energy at a single spot.

"I should point out that there are some errors in that summary," Clark said.

"Oh?" Washu asked. "Anything major?"

"No, just some trivial items."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, my Uncle Harry is dead...and I weigh 251 lbs." There was a communal sigh around the table. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is *wrong*," Washu replied, busily updating his dossier, "they're just admiring your physique."

"Yes, it is...most impressive," Ayeka added.

"Thanks," Clark said, resigned to the fact that the conversation was taking a well-worn turn.

"If you don't mind my asking," Tenchi offered, "just how did you get so..."

"...Buff?" Ryoko offered.

Tenchi nodded, a bit nonplussed.

"I've always been physically active," Clark answered. "My adopted parents raised me on a farm, where there is always plenty of hard work to be done. Then I played football and wrestled in high school...worked in the rodeo for a while...competitive weightlifting...I even did a short stint as a professional wrestler. That was before my biomatrix force field fully developed. Bottom line, however, is that it has more to do with genetics than personal past-times; one of the consequences of being a 'test-tube baby'."

"'Test-tube baby'...now there's a term I haven't heard used in a while," Washu muttered.

"What did Kryptonians look like?" Sasami asked.

Washu tapped a set of keys and another pane materialized. It contained an image of two 'average' Kryptonians, naked and slowly rotating in synchronized pirouettes. Each figure was a blockish form with two short, muscular legs that supported a barrel-chested, full-stomached, heavily-boned body. From their broad, well-defined shoulders hung two bulky arms, each framed with massive muscles bulging beneath the darkly tanned skin. Their hands and feet were enormous, covered with rounded pads and calluses. A network of veins and arteries protruded from all exposed skin, alluding to tremendous strength. Each bullet-shaped head was balding at the crown, and featured a prominent brow ridge which shadowed dark brown eyes. Each face was bisected vertically by a large, bulbous nose, and horizontally by thick lips. Each square jaw settled closely upon a thick neck, with rope-like tufts of ruddy hair sprouting behind elephantine ears, tinted with golden or bluish highlights. Their differences were minor: the male was taller and heavier than the female, his chest was partially masked by a long, full beard, while his genitals seemed miniscule and hidden; the female lacked facial hair, and was endowed with a pair of small, rock-solid breasts.

"They look rather like dwarves, Clark," Diana giggled. "Dwarven people from a red dwarf star. Not quite the Olympian figures I would have expected of the parents of humanity."

"Not very flattering, I admit," Clark shrugged.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Linda growled.

Diana's smile slid into a smirk, exchanging cool glances with the teenager.

"My, but there has been a great deal of genetic diversity within our species, hasn't there?" Noike drawled. "I suppose it was inevitable, spread as we were across so many planetary environments, and the all-too-human tendency to tinker with our own DNA..."

"But it does explain the plethora of humanoid species that inhabit the respective versions of our galaxy, who resemble each other cosmetically and genetically," Washu noted.

"Yes, but Juraian history makes no mention of ever looking like that," Ayeka said, pointing towards the new pane.

"There must have been widespread gengineering of the baseline model fairly early in Kryptonian history. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it occuried during the very early interplanetary exploration period, long before any interstellar colonies were founded."

Conversation ceased as the door slid open. A floating droid briefly entered the room, a meter-high cylinder filled with shelfs, and surmounted by a set of sensors and one retractable arm where a 'head" would be. It's shelves contained a pot of tea, a jug of water, a dozen cups and saucers, a dozen glasses, and a stack of napkins. Everyone watched in silence as the droid drifted silently over the table, placed the pot and jug in the center, a cup and glass and napkin before each chair, and then retreated just as quietly.

After a moment of awkward silence, Noike reached for the pot and poured herself a cup of tea. Diana reached for the jug and filled her water glass. Similar movements were replicated around the table, with only a few subdued thanks spoken. Silence fell again over the room, as some sipped their refreshments, and others simply stared at the panes shimmering in the air.

Mihoshi finally broke the spell: "Clark? What material is your costume made of?"

"Spandex," Clark replied. "Why?"

"Is it synthetic?"

"Yes."

"I've never seen a fabric cling like that. It behaves like a second skin."

"I was wondering about that myself," Noike added.

"Yeah," said Ryoko, "it acts like a wet tee-shirt."

"It's the biomatrix force field; it has an adhesive effect on the clothing I wear."

"Oh, that makes sense," Mihoshi nodded. "Actually, that's rather impressive; even your navel is clearly defined."

"Unfortunately, all of my bulges and bumps are outlined."

"ALL of them?" Ryoko grinned. Her golden eyes, and Washu's emerald eyes, dropped reflexively in the direction of his lap, while Noike and Ayeka digested the information quietly, and Mihoshi and Sasami exchanged embarrassed glances.

"Now you know why I wear the baggy red shorts," Clark replied. "Modesty and decorum and all that."

"There are some things only his wife should know about," Lois said.

"It's the same reason why I wear this skirt," Linda added, "as well as a good sports bra."

"What about you?" Ryoko asked Diana.

Diana shrugged. "I am not Kryptonian, thus, I do not have a biomatrix field."

"In that outfit you don't need one -- it's skin-tight already (what little there is of it)."

"For your information," Diana sighed evenly, "this 'outfit' is the traditional garment worn beneath armor in a tropical environment. It's only unusual aspect is this emblem," she pointed to the golden eagle whose wings spread defiantly across her chest, "whose inspiration was the patch sewn onto the leather jacket of a fighter pilot who washed up on the shore of my island. The pilot had been in combat, and was fatally wounded, though she survived long enough to reach the beach. I bear both her sigil and her name."

"Ok, ok, don't take it so personally," Ryoko backpedaled. Then she turned towards Tenchi and smiled wolfishly. "Tenchi, Sweetie, would you prefer if it *we* wore something similar? At least, those of us with suitable figures..." The dig was aimed at Ayeka, who colored immediately.

"Erm..." Tenchi sputtered.

"We can discuss that later," Washu intervened, receiving a grateful smile from the boy. To Clark, she said: "That biomatrix field sounds very interesting. And so much power available...which isn't surprising, I guess, since it appears to be harnessing the full range of scalar electromagnetic properties."

"Could you rephrase that into something a non-genius could understand?" Lois asked.

"Sure: the ability to engineer the Schrödinger equation itself, and the direct manipulation of quantum change." The befogged gazes didn't change. "Zero-point energy conversion?" Still no takers. To Clark, she said, "No wonder you're capable of lifting buildings and flying at Mach 10. I'm impressed; that kind of genetic tinkering must have taken dozens of generations to develop fully."

"Washu, how long have you known about Krypton?" Tenchi asked.

"Quite a while," Washu replied. "I visited the one in Clark's universe once."

"When was that?" Clark asked.

"Several thousand years ago."

"You don't look that old," Lois said, surprised.

"Thank you."

"She gets around a lot, too," Ryoko added. "Although I don't know she'd have the chance, since she locks herself in her lab most of the time..."

Mihoshi and Sasami nodded in agreement, while Tenchi, Noike, and Ayeka glanced sideways at Washu.

Washu fixed them all with a level stare. "Really, people, what do you think I'm doing when I'm not in the house? Do you think I spend all of my time building silly gadgets or replicating research that's been around forever? If you must know, I spend most of my time traveling through the Multiverse, observing and cataloging." She sighed loudly at their blank faces, shaking her head. "Forget it, you wouldn't understand."

"Yes I would," Sasami whispered, smiling.

"Did you see any evidence of widespread genetic engineering when you visited there?" Clark asked.

"No -- but then, I wasn't looking for any evidence, either. It may have just been in the beginning stages, or maybe widespread distribution among the population hadn't occured yet."

"But why did they go through so much effort?" Ayeka asked.

"Isn't it obvious? They were experiencing a Singularity."

"A black hole?" Mihoshi asked.

"No, a toposophic Singularity." She looked around, the glassy-eyed stare had reinfected all of her companions. "A technological-toposophic Singularity, the point at which sentient beings ascend from their previous state of existence to a higher, vastly enhanced state."

"They were accelerating their own evolutionary development," Clark translated.

"Exactly! The Singularity represents a quantum leap of intelligence, like a milestone, or a step up a ladder. Afterwards, the society develops new goals and plans to attain them."

"And one of their goals was to turn themselves into a race of Supermen?" Lois asked.

Washu shrugged. "Who knows? The nature of the those 'new goals and plans' is usually incomprehensible to outsiders."

Clark shook his head sadly. "The trouble with self-evident truths is that they generally aren't. I'm no closer to understanding my forebears than I ever was."

"It really doesn't matter, though, does it?" Lois asked gently, touching her husband's hand.

"You're right, of course," he replied, flashing her a crooked smile.

"Back to this biomatrix field of your's," Washu said. "You can suppress it, focus it, and expand it?"

"Yes, but I wasn't born with that kind of control. It took a long time to learn, and all the while my abilities were still growing. They really didn't start manifesting until my last year of high school. The invulnerability appeared first, followed by enhanced strength, speed, stamina, and my senses. It was in my college years that my 'hang time' when jumping started lasting longer and longer. Eventually, it turned into full flight."

"My powers have only just started to appear," Linda added. "I've had an easier time of it, since Clark is coaching me."

Clark nodded. "I've been teaching her the same Torquasm-Vao meditation techniques that helped me so much."

"I don't suppose you could demonstrate that for us, could you?" Washu asked.

Clark nodded. He placed his right arm on the tabletop, palm-up, and slowly pushed his fist towards his teacup, index finger extended. Once his fingertip made contact with the cup, he paused briefly, and then raised his hand from the tabletop. The teacup accompanied his hand -- even when he rotated his wrist into a knuckles-down posture. The teacup remained firmly attached to Clark's fingertip, and the steaming contents remained firmly inside the cup. Clark maintained this tableau for several seconds before restoring the cup to the tabletop.

The effort earned him a round of applause.

"It's actually easier to do with large objects, like cars."

"How do you do that?" Sasami asked.

"I just imagine that the cup is an extension of my body," Clark replied.

"And then your biomatrix field expands to surround the cup," Washu concluded.

Clark nodded, as did Linda.

"Your control is magnificent," Ayeka said, "but what advantage is there to suppressing that field?"

"Shaving, showering, getting a haircut..." Clark replied.

"Sex," Linda muttered from the table, and blushed from all the startled looks she received.

"Linda..."

"Oh, c'mon, Cuz, I have superhearing and x-ray vision, too, you know. Those family gatherings in Smallville can get pretty intense sometimes..."

"Let her talk!" Ryoko cackled. "I want to hear the details."

"Our auras act like steady-state force fields," Linda replied, glad for the encouragement. "But there are definitely times we want to 'drop shields' and let the outside world in."

"Thank you, Linda," Lois said, lips pursed in a losing effort to contain a grin.

"Uh," Tenchi sputtered, obviously changing the subject, "does that big 'diamond-S' emblem you wear have any special significance?"

"Well, it looks nice," Clark mused.

"But where did it come from?"

"It was stamped into the instrument housing on my shuttle. At a guess, I'd say it was either a corporate logo for whoever built the ship, or a bureaucratic badge from some government agency. I really have no idea."

"You mean, that thing is a just like the Nike 'swoosh'?"

Clark nodded. "My mother liked it and used it occasionally for some of her cross-stitch and needlework projects. So she put it on my costume when she made it for me."

"I thought it might be a family crest, or some other significant symbol."

Clark just shook his head. "No, nothing quite so dramatic. My mother put it there, and that's a good enough reason for me to leave it there."

"This," Linda added, pointing to her her blouse, "is one of Clark's old costumes. Aunt Martha modified it a bit and added a few 'femine touches' to personalize it."

"All in the family," Lois said, smiling

"Speaking of parents, how did they find you?" Washu asked Clark. "I mean, did you pop out of the ship looking like a fetus, or were you 'fully-formed', or what?"

"As an infant, approximately two weeks old. I spent the whole voyage as a fertilized egg in a containment field; after the hyperspace shunt, the ship's AI applied the pre-programmed DNA modifications, so that I would look like the natives, could eat their food, tolerate the local diseases, and just more-or-less blend in."

"Can you breed with them?"

"I don't know," Clark admitted. "I assume so."

"We haven't fully researched that topic yet," Lois said -- then smiled. "But we will."

Clark grinned, touching his wife's hand. To Washu, he said, "Deep-down, however, my baseline is still Kryptonian. I have the industrial-strength bones, muscles, and denser skin of a species that evolved on a heavy-gravity world, plus those extra organs."

"Well, all jokes about 'eye candy' aside, the presence of those extra organs does explain why you seem a bit disproportionate," Washu nodded. "Your shoulders are a bit wider than normal...almost cartoonish...and your chest is larger than the average human male."

"I'm not complaining," Lois purred, and received a round of laughter.

"And I rather doubt that you were specifically targeted to Earth," Washu continued. "The Kryptonian archives may not have been all that up-to-date; they had been galactic hermits for quite a long time. They had to suspect their records were obsolete, and doubtless each shuttle must have had a list of priority targets to look at (consider how long your cousin wandered around). There's no telling how many shuttles never made it out of the solar system, or got lost following antiquated star charts, or were intercepted mid-voyage. You both were very lucky."

"How did you end-up in the United States?" Tenchi asked.

"My ship spent several years in Earth orbit, scanning the energy consumption and radio traffic of the different continents before deciding where to land. The AI eventually chose North America, and then fine-tuned my camouflage accordingly."

"Did anyone ever figure out what caused the 'Green Death'?" Ayeka asked.

"Yes," Clark answered. "In fact, my biological father, Jor-El, figured it out. But by then it was too late to do anything. So he left the record aboard my shuttle, with his and Lara's personal affects."

"Do tell," Washu prompted.

"It's a waste product of the biomatrix force field, just like carbon dioxide is a waste product of normal respiration."

"Gods," Washu whispered. "The tremendous power that each field generates..."

Clark nodded. "Just look at how much kryptonite is available on Earth right now. Someone once theorized that Krypton would have had to be a cooling black dwarf star to explain the sheer volume of material laying around. No one ever considered the possiblity that *I* create the poison, whenever I exert myself."

"There must have been millions of Kryptonians around that solar system, on dozens of asteroids, orbital habitats, terraformed moons, artificial biospheres...." Ayeka whispered.

"Hundreds of millions," Washu corrected. "Individually, each was weaker than Clark, since they lived under a red sun; but collectively, they far out-stripped him in sheer power."

"Enough power to shatter whole planets," Noike mutered.

"It might even be considered poetic justice, that what Kryptonian scientists had spent centuries breeding and developing actually killed them in the end," Lois said.

"The Curse of the Krell," Washu added.

"Indeed," Diana muttered.

There was another long silence, before Noike broke it. "I've been wondering about something."

"What is it?" Washu asked.

"Why is Clark's resume titled 'Superman'?"

"That's my codename," Clark said.

"Why do you need a codename?"

"I'm a superhero. So are Linda and Diana."

"What are their codenames?"

"Supergirl," Linda said.

"Wonder Woman," Diana said.

"Ah; but that doesn't explain the rather...distinctive...costumes you're wearing," Noike replied.

"The costumes are meant to be recognizable at a glance, much like the uniform of a police officer," Clark answered. "The codenames serve to protect our secret identities...after all, everyone is entitled to a private life, and we have families that need to remain anonymous...for security reasons"

"I see."

"You don't have any superheroes in your world?" Linda asked.

"No," Noike replied. "I suppose the nearest thing for us would be the Galaxy Police."

"Like me!" Mihoshi burbled.

"Well, we are only marginally in law enforcement," Clark said. "We serve in an unofficial capacity."

"Oh?"

"We aren't deputized, nor sworn into public service."

"Is that a problem?"

"We are often accused of being vigilantes," Diana answered. "We enforce the law, and we serve as protectors of the weak and injured, but we are not officially sanctioned to do so."

"Why bother? Aren't the law enforcement officers in your world capable of dealing with its issues?"

"Yes, but they do run into some tough situations sometimes," Clark said. "We have these gifts, these superpowers, that allow us to provide assistance."

"It's not like we can turn our powers on and off," Linda said. "They're natural abilities. We might as well use them in the public good, rather than selfishly."

"The public in our world holds superheroes in high regard, and appreciates the services they perform," Lois said.

"I see ample opportunity for abuse," Noike said.

"It does happen," Diana sighed. "There are individuals with similar gifts, but with less-noble attitudes."

"Those are the ones that the regular law enforcement agencies have the hardest time dealing with," Clark added.

"Are there many...superpowered citizens...in your world?" Noike asked.

"The percentage is quite small," Washu concluded. "Probably 500 individuals altogether, on a planet of six billion people."

There was another long silence, while Washu typed on her keyboard.

"Don't mind me," she said finally, "I'm just making some notes to update our files with." She grinned at Clark. "And I owe you a big thanks."

Clark shrugged a reply.

Washu paused, studying both Clark and Tenchi. "You know, you two have a lot in common."

Clark and Tenchi exchanged glances. "Like what?" the latter asked.

"Well, for starters, you're both farmers."

"I'm not now, though I used to be," Clark said. "I was raised on my father's wheat farm."

"I still am," Tenchi replied. "I tend my grandfather's carrot fields."

"Why don't you two take a walk out on the veranda," Washu suggested, pointing towards the door. "Get to know each other..." Clark and Tenchi exchanged glances, recognizing blatant manipulation when they saw it -- or were subjected to it.

"Sure, why not," Clark said, rising from his chair. He followed Tenchi through the door and out onto the gallery, looking at the wide track that ran both directions. There were hundreds of other strollers on the gallery, humans and aliens, singles and groups.

"Uh, which way?" Tenchi asked.

"Doesn't matter to me. It looks about the same in both directions."

Tenchi gestured towards the left, Clark nodded, and they started walking.

With the men absent, the remaining occupants of the room rose and stretched, breaking into little groups to examine the room's decorations, or to initiate conversations.

"I hear they have a zocalo here," Mihoshi said to Linda.

"What's a 'zocalo'?" Linda asked.

"A town square or plaza."

"Like a shopping mall?"

"Uh, huh. I figure with so many families living here, there are bound to be some stores there -- so I was going to go look around. Care to join me?"

"Sure."

Linda followed Mihoshi through the door, the latter hesitating once they had reached the main concourse. Clark and Tenchi could be seen strolling away, apparently deep in conversation.

"Here, let me use my x-ray vision and look for something resembling a mall," Linda suggested.

"You can do that?" Mihoshi asked.

"Sure. Hold on a second..." She scanned the cavern walls, looking through them and beyond. "There's another huge chamber in that direction, with all sorts of little rooms and stalls around it -- and even a food court. And it's chock-full of people."

"That sounds promising. Let's try it."

"Works for me."

Mihoshi took several paces forward -- then realized she was alone. "Linda?"

"Up here."

Mihoshi looked upwards, as Linda hovered almost directly above her. "Oh."

"You don't seem too surprised."

"I'm used to Ryoko flying around."

"Do you want a lift? It's faster than walking."

"Well...ok." Linda drifted downwards, hand extended, which Mihoshi grasped. Almost immediately she felt her weight disappear, and she floated effortlessly upwards. "Oh, wow, so this is what flying feels like. This is almost like zero-gee."

"I take it you have some experience with weightlessness?"

"Uh, huh. I have to log at least 50 hours in microgravity each year to keep my certification. Oh!"

"Something wrong?"

"I just noticed that my hair has some static electricity...not a lot, but it crackles and frizzes a bit."

"Yeah, you'll get used to it. Let's go." With that, Linda leaned forward at the waist, legs following her torso, cape snapping suddenly behind her.

Mihoshi started to tense up, expecting a sudden jerk on her hand and arm. Instead, she felt a gentle tug, like being pulled through water. The walls of the cavern began to blur past, as the wind caused Linda's cape to dance, and two bouquets of blonde hair to slither and coil like excited snakes. "Wheeeeee! This is fun!"

"You've been awful quiet, Princess Diana," Ryoko said.

"Just Diana, please. And I really have little to say. I have no interest in the origin of humanity, although I realize it may be of significance to everyone else."

"Why is that?"

"Well...Clark is not the only 'test-tube baby' here. I was crafted, as well."

"Really?"

"I was created by the residents of a parallel universe that had knowledge of ancient Earth. The Gods of Olympus, if that means anything to you. I was raised by the goddess Hippolyta, whom I'm told also provided the egg that nurtured me. No one would tell me who the sperm donor was, but I do bear more than a passing resemblance to Lord Hades, who was once an 'acquaintance' of my mother."

"You don't sound too fond him."

"Lord Hades betrayed our king, Zeus, to his enemies, the Titans. For his crime, Hades was banished to the Underworld."

"Gee, this sounds rather familiar."

"You have heard this tale before?" Diana asked.

"No," Ryoko replied.

"I don't understand."

"I was crafted, too. My 'egg donor' is that red-head over there -- who's also a goddess, oddly enough -- when she isn't playing mad scientist. My 'sperm donor' was a research assistant of her's, Kagato by name (a clone of one of her old friends), who later stole her work, entombed her, and enslaved me."

"How curious," Diana replied, pondering the similarities. "Did you have a childhood?"

"I don't remember mine, it was so long ago. Too much has happened in the years since."

"Mine was a brief, but happy, one. Most of it was spent learning to use my gifts."

"What kind of gifts?"

"My patrons bestowed upon me superstrength, superspeed, and the ability to fly. Various weapons were given to me: a magical sword able to cleave almost any material, a magical shield, indestructible bracelets from Hephaestus, and the Golden Lasso of Hestia. I was trained in various martial arts, weaponcraft, and statecraft." Diana shrugged, adding, "And what of you?"

"I have no patron, just a body made of super-energized Masu. Like you, I have superstrength and flight, but I can also teleport, phase through matter, and even clone myself for brief periods. I can deploy energy in several forms: from a sword that will cut through anything solid, to showers of energy needles, to a modest shield. My gifts were gems of immense power...although I don't have all of them at the moment." Ryoko swirled the tea in her cup, staring into its depths. "I never had any formal training, but over the centuries I acquired a few useful skills from Kagato and his cronies."

"My battles have been against monsters and men, those who would oppress the weak and peaceful. What about you?"

"I'd probably be one of your 'monsters'. My master was only interested in pursuing his own goals, and I was just another tool in his toolchest. I caused a lot of destruction." Ryoko leaned back in her chair, pushing away the tea cup. "Times change, though; my body is over 5000 years old, but my heart is only 20 years old."

Diana followed Ryoko's gaze. "I take it your 'heart' just left?"

Ryoko nodded.

"We have much in common," Diana said softly, her gaze on the door. "I would offer you a drink, Lady Ryoko, if this place had anything stronger than juice in its larders."

"Just Ryoko, please," Ryoko replied. "And what kind of drink?"

"Something straight from the heart of Bacchus himself, full of fire and life, something to wash away one's troubled thoughts."

"I think I can help you there, Diana. I brought several bottles of sake with me, and they're waiting over in our ship. Care to join me?"

"Isn't sake a rice wine?"

"Yeah, so potent that it will make your hair stand on end!"

"Excellent. I accept your offer. Let us retire to your vessel and drown our sorrows."

"Right this way!"

Ryoko started to rise, and paused, looking pointedly at Ayeka. "Aren't you coming?"

"Excuse me?"

"C'mon, Ayeka, I saw you eavesdropping -- your left eyebrow actually twitched when I mentioned 'sake'."

"Well..." Ayeka said, blushing.

Diana canted her head and smiled. "I saw the twitch, too, Princess Ayeka. I would be honored if you would join us."

"If you insist," Ayeka replied, trying to sound less embarrassed and more gracious at the same time.

"We insist," Ryoko confirmed.

"Seems like everyone is bailing on us," Washu observed. "Maybe we should do the same?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind getting a tour," Lois replied.

"Me, too," Sasami added. "I'd like to see what kind of herbs and veggies are planted in that big garden out there."

"I don't believe they're giving away samples," Noike cautioned. "It looked more like an interplanetary conservatory, or something similar."

"Well, knowing the mindset of the average resident around here, I'd be willing to bet the more common crops are negotiable." Washu pushed herself away from the table, causing the data panes and keyboard to vanish. "Come on, Lois, I'll give you the 'nickel tour' of the place, while these ladies explore yonder botanical center."

"Fine by me," Lois answered.

"This should be fun," Sasami said. "Come on, Aunt Noike!"

Noike rose quietly from her chair, smiling indulgently at her niece.

Linda stared in utter amazement at the clots of aliens milling around her. They came in every shape and color and size imaginable, in fabulous combinations of legs and tentacles and horns and fur and scales, draped in all manner of clothing and dress. The cacophony of noises and smells was astounding.

"Yeah, you'll get used to it. Let's go." Mihoshi dragged Linda over towards a kiosk where one of the few humans could be seen. It didn't take long to realize that (i) the human was female, (ii) not much younger than Linda, and (iii) was clearly bored, watching a video pad on her counter with little enthusiasm. She looked up at their approach. "Greetings."

"Hi."

"Are you from Earth?" Linda asked.

"Which one?"

"Uh...I dunno."

"New here, aren't you." It was not a question.

"How can you even understand us?"

For an answer, the girl pulled aside her long hair to reveal a translator inserted into her ear, which she pointedly tapped.

"What have you got to drink?" Mihoshi asked.

"What have you got for money?" the teenager countered.

"I have a discretionary account through the Galaxy Police."

"Which one?"

"Uh...I dunno."

The teenager muttered something under her breath, and reached across her counter for a coffee-pot-like mechanism. She pulled down an obvious microphone and extended it towards Mihoshi. "Please state your name."

"Galaxy Police Detective First Class Kuramitsu Mihoshi."

"Please state your Identity Number."

"I don't have one."

"Then state your sponsor."

"Sponsor?"

"Who brought you here?"

"Oh! Professor Hakubi Washu."

The machine reacted visibly, whirring and vibrating before unleashing a blue-beamed sensor wash across the GP officer. "Identity and affiliation confirmed," it replied in a monotonous grumble.

"I guess you're good for it," the teenager yawned. "So, what do you want?"

"Linda?"

"Got any fruit juice?"

"What kind of fruit? We can synthesize about anything."

"Got any strawberry, or orange?"

The teenager pulled a keypad over and tapped some inquiries into it. "Yeah, we can do either."

"I'll have a strawberry," Linda said.

"I'll have an orange," Mihoshi said.

"Gotcha. It'll be about five minutes. Put your thumbprint here," and she slid the keypad towards Mihoshi. "Thanks."

Satisfied, Mihoshi joined Linda in a quiet spot, out of the main traffic pattern.

"I'm sure glad you're here," Linda said.

"Thanks. I run into this sort of thing on occasion."

A pony-sized insectoid strode regally past them, it's six legs moving in casual synchronization, it's twin sets of miniscule forelegs tucked neatly under its thorax. The triangular head, with its six compound eyes, whisker-like cilia, and bifurcated beak, road gracefully atop a multijointed neck, seemingly oblivious to the undulating motion of the lower body. A series of silk-like sheets were draped around its body, shimmering and rippling with each step. "Uh...do you work with many aliens?"

"No, not really. A few Wau, a handful of others. Where I come from, it's mostly humans from different galactic nations -- or the pirates...there are always pirates. Look, our drinks are ready. Why don't you grab that table over there."

"Ok."

They walked three-abreast down the corridor, Diana in the middle. "Let me see if I have this correct," she said, "you are best friends, now, though that wasn't always true."

"Yes," Ayeka replied.

"And yet you are both rivals for Tenchi's affection, which also wasn't always true."

"Yeah," Ryoko answered.

"I see. Could you explain the full sequence of events for me?"

Ryoko looked over at Ayeka, who nodded. "Ok. It started about 700 years ago, back in the days when I still served Kagato," Ryoko sighed. "Kagato decided he wanted to get his hands on Tsunami-ki, the Genesis Tree."

"The progenitor of all Juraian Royal Space Trees," Diana confirmed.

"Yeah. He managed to devise a little 'distraction' for the bulk of the Home Defense Fleet, which hurried out-system and left Jurai basically defenseless. That's when I arrived aboard my ship, Ryo-Ohki, and attacked the Royal Arboretum. Not one of my better days..."

"How so?"

"I have a mean streak a mile wide and twice as deep, and it can get away from me sometimes...like it did then."

"There was a great deal of destruction," Ayeka explained. "Ryo-Ohki destroyed many ships and their crews, and Ryoko unleashed demons upon the security forces around the Arboretum. There were many collateral casualties caused by the panic, fires, and falling wreckage."

"Was that your first meeting?" Diana asked.

"Yes. I was fresh my recent Bonding Ceremony with Ryu-Oh. Her spaceship was in the final phase of its construction, having recently received the Core Module, but still lacking its external armor and focusing structures. And at 14 years of age, I was not a shining example of the consummate warrior-princess. But I was determined to do my part, and we rose to challenge Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki. She taunted me on the communicator, destroyed my favorite garden, and then laughed at my frustration. I'm afraid I confused my poor Ryu-oh, and she was damaged in the artillery exchange with Ryo-Ohki: we crashed into the Imperial Palace. That was not one of my better days, either..."

"What happened next?"

"Her brother arrived in his Tree Ship, the whole attack fizzled, and I ran away," Ryoko answered. "Yosho followed me to Earth, there was a running space battle, he won, and put me in a cave for 700 years."

"That sounds tortuous."

"It was cold, and dark, and lonely," Ryoko shrugged. "While I was trapped in that Stassis Unit, my astral form could wander around outside. I learned the local language, some of the customs -- and I looked into a pair of eyes that could see me when no one else could, and never flinched."

"Tenchi?"

"Yeah. His family used to parade him around my cave, back when he was a baby. I'd never been around a baby before, you know? They're so small and helpless; and they go through so many changes. I was annoyed at first, and then decided it wasn't the kid's fault. In fact, I got used to seeing him every day...over the years his visits became less and less frequent, but he never stopped coming back to that cave. I missed him terribly when he was gone..." Her voice tapered off as she rewatched her memories. "I remember how much he liked to play around my cave. In fact, he ran there the day his mother was buried, and cried himself to sleep...and I protected him from the falling snow. I *liked* that feeling...protecting someone, rather than hurting them. No surprise, then, that I tried to protect him from Kagato -- but he protected me instead. I'd do anything for him."

"When did you meet Tenchi?" Diana asked Ayeka.

"Ryoko's release triggered a homing signal. That lead me to Earth, to my second confrontation with her -- and my first meeting with Tenchi. And he did protect her, albeit unknowingly: he unwittingly released her and helped her crash both of our ships. Thus, we were both stranded there. At first I had no strong attachment for him; but after discovering that my brother was still alive, and that he had adapted completely to life on Earth, I turned to Tenchi for companionship (he is a kinsman, after all)...and I liked what I saw. He is kind, campassion, unpretentious, and brave, a man of the soil so unlike any of the unscrupulous cannibals and narcissistic sycophants of the Royal Court. I gave my heart to him."

"And in spite of your history, you two became friends?" Diana asked.

"Well, opposites do attract," Ryoko offered.

"And I learned that she was under Kagato's control when she attacked Jurai, and that my earlier hatred was misdirected. Besides, our little competitions proved quite invigorating," Ayeka added.

They exchanged grins.

"So, how do you handle the rivalry?" Diana asked.

"It started as a game of scheming and exploitation," Ayeka replied. "We were each out to win the prize, and deny the other even the slightest victory."

"It sure was a lot of fun!" Ryoko chuckled.

"Although, to be honest, we damaged the house and our own credibilities far more often than impressing Tenchi. For representatives of an advanced galactic culture, we behaved atrociously..."

"Yeah, he didn't seem too eager to pick anyone. It was bad enough that Ayeka and I were competing for his attention, and Washu and Mihoshi were always hovering nearby, and cute little Sasami would grow up to be gorgeous adult Sasami, but then Noike showed up and announced that she's his fiancée..."

They were walking along the enclosed promenade that wove among the gargantuan tree trunks. Through the transparent walls they could see myriads of artificial lights, in a rainbow of colors, hanging among the structures anchored to the skyscraper-sized stems...but always at the fringes lurked a stygian gloom, and the ultra-cold vacuum of interplanetary space.

"I will admit, virtually all of the focus today has been on your husband," Washu said.

"That's no surprise," Lois replied.

"However, I have done some research on you, too."

"Oh?"

"Nothing official, mind you -- just crib notes. I was curious about the kind of woman Clark would be attracted to."

"I see."

"Care to hear the assessment?"

"Sure."

"You're a savvy, stubborn, sly woman who doesn't suffer fools gladly. You're a professional, never biasing your stories or slinging mud, who wants to be judged solely on your results. You have a history of taking big risks while chasing a story, but they're always calculated risks -- you don't blunder stupidly into dangerous situations, but are always careful to assess the hazards first. You're also something of a communications wizard; you have informants all over Metropolis, from high-society millionaires to the lowest-wage drones. Opinionated, always ready with a quip, you can talk rings around almost everyone, including your boss. You are generally regarded as one of the best journalists in the business."

"Very flattering, Professor Washu."

"However, you have a dark side: a susceptibility to danger. You always take the toughest, riskiest assignments. Your affinity for danger extends into your personal life as well -- you have an attraction for edgy, mysterious men who play by their own rules. Especially one man in particular..."

"Clark dropped into my life at low tide, actually. I'd been hurt and disappointed enough in the past to be cynical about men and marriage. My sister even accused me that I didn't have dates, I 'conducted interviews'. As far as I was concerned, if they weren't man enough to handle me they could just move on down the road. But there was definitely something intriguing about Clark. He caught my attention and held it." Lois shook her head. "I wasn't very nice to him, though; at least, not for a long while. He can be very stiff, very formal, and a stickler for rules and regulations. Must be that small-town upbringing. I started to tease him about it, calling him 'Smallville' whenever I saw him starting to withdraw into his shell. The joke was on me, though: he wasn't just some rigid, goody-two-shoes, but a sharp journalist. I learned pretty quickly to respect his skills...which led to our professional rivalry."

"And the 'professional rivalry' led to...?"

"Mutual respect, then friendship, then romance. He earned my trust...I'd never had a best friend until he came along. Talk about a steep learning curve..." Lois took a deep breath and changed the subject. "And what about you? You're on the short list to marry Tenchi."

"Yes, Ma'am, I am indeed."

"Well, I have a couple of questions about that."

"I would expect nothing less from a star reporter. Ask away!"

"Are you really several thousand years old?"

"Yep. Almost 20,000 years old by your calendar. That means I'm four times older than any recorded history on Earth."

Lois looked skeptical. "So, you've been a child for 200 centuries?"

"No. I've been maintaining the appearance of a child for 200 centuries. It has several advantages."

"Such as?"

"People expect a female Einstein; instead, they get a snotty adolescent. Throws them off of their game plan."

"Anything else?"

"Nobody expects me to get involved in civil and social affairs. Thus, I can sit on the sidelines and take potshots, and there are very few consequences."

"So this form," Lois made a casual gesture in Washu's direction, "is a facade?"

"Yes."

"I assume Tenchi knows this. What do you...normally...look like?"

"This," Washu replied. And in the blink of an eye there was an adult standing where the child had stood. Athletic, big-chested and gorgeous -- even her voice deepened to match the new frame. "THIS is who Tenchi will be marrying. I expect to assume this form full-time afterwards."

"Wow, I'm impressed. But...why assume the child's form in the first place?"

"Because, once upon a time...a very long time ago...I made a mistake...a very painful mistake...and I swore I'd never do it again."

"Let me guess: you fell in love."

"Yes, I fell in love. Deeply and madly, as only a young woman can. The passions of youth, love at first sight, and all that. We got married, we had a son."

"And?"

"His father called him home, and he left -- and he took our son with him. I was devastated."

"So you swore you'd never let yourself fall in love again," Lois echoed, shaking her head. "20,000 years is a long time..."

"It would be nice, wouldn't it, to spend your whole life with a tailor-made partner created for you by some omnipotent deity?" Washu snorted. "We should be so lucky. But I didn't sit around and mope for centuries: I kept busy. And I'm still human enough to have dabbled occasionally in that greatest of all human obsessions."

"Sex?"

"Of course. Not very often, though; not many men were worth the effort." Washu sighed, her knee-length tresses swaying despondently. "We yearn for a love to come into our lives and sweep us off our feet. There are no guarantees that it will happen even once, let alone a second time. So all you can do is wait (no matter how long it takes), and hope that special someone *will* appear. And if (by some miracle) he does show up, then you hope you have the courage to face those lingering fears about getting hurt again."

"How did you cope with your lingering fears?"

"Nothing beats 'love at first sight' except 'love with insight'. I took my time and did my homework." Washu's emerald eyes studied Lois intently. "I think I know the subject matter a lot better this time around."

Clark and Tenchi were pacing slowly around the concourse, the elevated trackway that circled the gardens. They gave the vista scant attention.

"Life is full of epiphanies," Clark said, concluding his tale.

"What are 'epiphanies'?" Tenchi asked, unfamiliar with the term that the translator fed him.

"Those sudden realizations that alter your character and the course of your life."

"Ah, thank you," Tenchi said. "Do you recall your first?"

"Yes, I do" Clark replied. "I was 17 years old."

"Interesting; I was 15 when I had my first one."

Clark studied the young man beside him. "Perhaps that age is significant...a rite of passage to manhood?"

Tenchi considered the idea for a few moments, before asking, "What was your first...epiphany...like?"

Clark sighed, framing his reply. "It was in my last year of high school. I played on the football team, the Smallville Giants. Are you familiar with American football?"

"Not really."

Clark nodded, explaining, "Because of my size, I was a defensive tackle (that means it was my responsibility to catch whoever had the football). I was very good at it. In fact, I was *extremely* good at it -- I could have gone to college on a scholarship." Clark snorted in self-derision. "My, but I was full of myself in those days. I made as many enemies as friends...enemies like Kenny Braverman, friends like Scott Brubaker."

"A man is known as much by his enemies, as by his friends," Tenchi offered, quoting an old adage.

"True, a fact that has haunted me ever since." The next few steps were taken in silence, Clark clearly replaying events in his mind.

"Please continue," Tenchi prompted.

"There was a party after one of the football games; lots of music, lots of dancing -- and lots of alcohol, which was very illegal. Scott had been drinking heavily all evening. When it came time to leave, he was too drunk to walk a straight line, but he still wanted to drive home. *I* wanted to drive *him* home, fearing the sheriff more than the danger, but he wouldn't accept it. I kept insisting, and he kept refusing, until we compromised: I climbed into the car with him."

"And...?"

"We never made it...Scott lost control and hit a tree...the head trauma left him a total vegetable...and I didn't even get a scratch. I got a lot of grief from Kenny, though -- and I beat the tar out of him for it." Clark sighed, shaking his head sadly. "My father waited until things had settled down a bit, and then showed me the Kryptonian shuttle. The Truth was stunning, to say the least: I was an alien, living among humans. That's why I was never sick, why I was such a good athlete, and why I never got hurt. I was tougher, stronger, and faster than everyone else. It didn't take long for the shock to wear off, and I started figuring out ways to use my powers to get rich and famous. Even worse, I started calling my neighbors *those puny mortals*, and sneered at their problems." Clark chuckled ruefully, adding, "My father could only take so much of that attitude, and cornered me one night. 'Stop right there,' he said, 'you may be different from everyone else, but you aren't any better than they are. Your powers don't give you the right to abuse anyone; if anything, you have to be extra careful around ordinary people, protect them whenever possible, because you have abilities that they lack.'"

"And that convinced you?"

"No, because I fired right back at him, 'Why should I care?'"

"How did he answer you?"

"I still remember the look in his eyes. He fetched the family Bible off the shelf, opened it, and read Luke 12:48: 'For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.'"

"With great power comes great responsibility," Tenchi translated. "Your father sounds like a wise man."

"He is, and I take his advice to heart...although not always right away," Clark grinned. "I wrestled with my conscious for the better part of a week before admitting that he was right. After that, he encouraged me to leave Smallville; go away for a while until I had figured out what to do with my life. So, I traveled for the next couple of years, seeing the wide world outside of Kansas. I also spent that time testing my powers, learning their limits, learning how to apply them."

"And that's when you started wearing your costume?"

"Ah, no," Clark chuckled. "I was quite happy doing my Good Deeds in secret."

"What happened?" Tenchi replied, intrigued.

"My second epiphany: a crisis. A great many people were in danger, and I was in a position to save them. Of course, no good deed ever goes unpunished...sooner or later there is a price to pay. Only, this task was so much bigger than all of the others, I knew that the price was going to be high."

"What kind of price?"

"I knew that by rescuing them, I would be exposing myself publicly. No more secret adventures. My life would change forever."

"Yet, if you remained hidden..."

"Most of them would die. Not much of a choice, really. So, I did the Right Thing: I rescued them."

"Do you regret that decision?"

"No; in fact, among the survivors was a very pretty newspaper reporter, who I might never have met. I was infatuated the moment I saw her, and agreed to an interview just to talk to her. Unfortunately, the bystanders descended on us like a flock of crows, screeching and cawing and shouting for attention. It was ugly. I was so appalled that I flew away, seeking a refuge where I could sort things out. I finally found myself back on my parents' farm. I didn't want to give up the work I had been doing in the shadows, but I also knew that it was impossible to stay out of the limelight. It was my father who remembered the comic-book heroes he had read about as a boy, and how they all had costumes to hide their features and protect their secret identities. He hadn't approved of the method then, and encouraged me not to adopt that formula. He said, 'a man of the people, a hero, shouldn't hide behind a mask -- you should let them see your face; the time for disguise is in private.' He suggested that Clark Kent get a make-over: a different hair style, different body language, different timbre for my voice, and a pair of phony glasses. My mother was the one who suggested the costume, since 'a man of the people, a hero, should wear something distinctive.' She made several different outfits before we settled on this one."

They continued to pace a bit, before Clark raised the subject of Tenchi's first epiphany.

"My grandfather had been telling me stories for years about The Demon who was imprisoned in a cave near the shrine where he lived," Tenchi recalled. "All sorts of legends about the Terror From The Sky who was challenged and defeated by one of my ancestors, a Samurai warrior of great strength and cunning. You do not dangle such tales in front of a bored, lonesome teenager, and then forbid him not to open the cave."

"In other words, you were being baited."

"Shamelessly. He allowed me to grab the keys and unlock the gates barring the entrance. At first, I found nothing but tree roots, boulders, and an old wooden shrine with a rusty sword in it. However, when I pried loose the sword, I opened a sealed chamber -- and freed The Demon."

"Ryoko."

"Yeah. You know, I'd grown up watching cartoons and reading comics that were filled with human-like space aliens. It seemed normal enough, and I believed it all for a while. But as I grew older, I realized it was all fiction. So you can imagine my shock when a human-like space alien burned down my school, kidnapped me and my father, and got us captured by another human-like space alien. It felt like I was living in a video game! But it was over real quick...and it had turned my world upside down. The cartoons had been right all along: humans were not alone in the galaxy. There were civilizations Out There way ahead of ours -- and I was a member of one of the most powerful clans."

"What happened then?"

"My second epiphany. Ryoko's former master came to collect her (among other things...), and I tried to rescue her. I was nearly killed, but that action triggered a connection inside of me. My own 'super powers' emerged at that point -- but not under my control. They have a will of their own, and I just 'step back' whenever they wake up."

"Is it possession?"

"Huh?"

"Do you feel like you're being taken over by another mind or spirit?"

"No...it's hard to explain...like there's a piece of my mind that sleeps in the shadows untils it's good and ready to wake up. Try to imagine sitting down at a piano for the very first time and watching your hands leap to the keyboard and play a symphony -- and you are unable to stop them."

"I can relate to that somewhat, since my own abilities started surfacing at unexpected times and circumstances." Clark shrugged, head tipped to one side. "It seems we do have much in common."

"We also have a lot of differences," Tenchi replied.

"How so?"

"Even though you have a public life as a superhero, you still have a private life to retreat to, one with a career and a family and a home. I do not have a secret identity...I am what I am: a Prince of a Great House, and a candidate for an interstellar Throne. There are ever more off-worlders coming into my life, and ever-more responsibilities. At some point, I am going to have to leave Earth, whether to attend the Galaxy Academy, or go directly to Jurai for some political role."

"My sympathies, Tenchi -- I only have one world to worry about, while you'll have to worry about many worlds. Do you have a sanctuary to escape to occasionally? For instance, I have my Fortress of Solitude, a structure hidden in the Antarctic ice."

"No, I don't have anything quite so elaborate," Tenchi sighed, "just the carrot fields around the family shrine. It's the only place where I'm left alone for any length of time. I often daydream there about what a normal, peaceful, quiet life would be like."

Clark shook his head. "American philosopher Henry David Thoreau once said, 'Most men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them.' I can't think of anyone who has a 'normal, peaceful, quiet life'."

Tenchi nodded ruefully. "I suppose you're right."

"Still...I do miss the smell of fresh-turned soil, and the whisper of the wind blowing across the fields..."

Tenchi smiled up at Clark. "I would be honored if you joined me in our carrot fields."

Clark returned the smile. "Thanks. I'd like that."

After several paces of silence, Clark added, "We have something else in common besides farming and superpowers."

"Oh? What else do we have in common?"

"The expectations that others have of us."

"So," Mihoshi said after a long draw from her cup, "Clark is your cousin?"

"Yeah, he sure is. Can you imagine the odds needed for both of us to survive our homes blowing-up, and our ships landing on the same planet so many years apart? Totally incredible!"

'Then you were born on Earth, too, right?"

"Nope."

"But I thought that report said..."

"Well, first off, Argos was an artificial habitat. It was made by taking a twenty-kilometer-long iron asteroid, and spinning it along its long axis while heating the middle. The resulting cylinder was hollowed-out, filled with tunnels and chambers and stuff, and then wired and plumbed for all of the people. And there were a LOT of people. Anyway, Uncle Jor-El managed to get a message to my dad about what was creating the Kryptonite, and what the government was doing."

"Why didn't everyone just evacuate the system? With so many people leaving, some of them were bound to get past those -- what were they called?"

"Eradicators."

"Yeah, those things. There couldn't have been *that* many of them, could there?"

"There didn't need to be: each one was as powerful as ten battleships."

"Wow. So what happened?"

"My father convinced the Governing Council to get the habitat's shields beefed-up just before Krypton exploded. We watched as all of the system's moons and colonies started bursting, one right after the other. God, it was horrible."

"How old were you?"

"I was about seven."

"Wait a minute," Mihoshi said, "isn't Clark older than you?"

"Well, I was getting to that part of the story," Linda grinned.

"Sorry."

"The Council started building lifeboats as fast as it could, installing star-drive engines aboard yachts and cruisers and liners and freighters and everything else they could find. There was even talk of trying to build engines big enough to move the whole habitat out-system."

"What about the Eradicators?"

"Most of them got wrecked by all of the debris and radiation that flooded the system."

"*Most* of them?"

"Yeah, but at least one survived..."

"So, then what happened?"

"Over the next few years, Dad was able to duplicate Uncle Jor-El's navigational program, and the Council was able to put together a fleet of ships. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a small shuttle; Mom installed the Stassis unit, and Dad got the AI aboard and working..."

"Something happened, didn't it? Something to do with an Eradicator?"

"Yeah...It tried to dock with us when it discovered all of those shuttles. It recognized them for what they were: an escape attempt. It was programmed to prevent any ships leaving the system carrying Kryptonian passengers. Anyway, it demanded that we turn over our lifeboats for immediate destruction. We couldn't allow that. So, the Council tried to deactivate it, but none of the protocols worked. And when they refused it's demands..."

"It opened fire, didn't it?"

"Uh, huh. It tried to destroy the shuttles, but they were protected behind several layers of shields. We knew those shields wouldn't last for long...so the Council ordered everyone to abandon the station and make a run for it."

"I don't understand -- why trigger its attack mode by fleeing?"

"Because all of those thousands of people were generating too much Kryptonite. Even though it was getting flushed into space in a constant stream, like so much sewage, it was getting harder and harder to isolate and dispose of. The Council admitted that we only had a few years left, so even if we *had* turned over the lifeboats to the Eradicator, we were going to die anyway."

"I think I can guess what happened," Mihoshi said quietly.

"I made it to the shuttle, and waited for my parents. They never arrived. I have to to assume they were killed during the attack. So did the AI, I guess -- it decided the odds were growing worse by the minute, engaged the Stassis unit, and jumped directly to lightspeed without leaving the dock."

"My God...it's a wonder you survived that maneuver."

"It's the only reason I'm here now. I'm guessing all of the other ships followed SOP and tried to get clear of the station before going trans-light. The Eradicator must have picked them off one-by-one."

"I'm so sorry," Mihoshi said.

Linda shrugged, sipping her fruit juice. A single lizard-like creature strolled past the table, looking much like a tiger-striped . Its snout was less reptilian and more bird-like, its long forelimbs were tipped with very dexterous-looking fingers, and its long tail acted as a counterbalance to the heavy trunk and head. It was adorned with extensive jewelry, an ornate skirt, and a toolbelt layered in pouches and pockets, all bulging with items that tinkled with each ponderous pace. It smelled vaguely like salmon. "I have no idea how long I was in Stassis. Long enough for Clark's ship to find Earth, long enough for him to grow up, long enough for my ship to find his."

"So, you're older chronologically, but he's older biologically."

"Yeah."

"Just how old are you?" Mihoshi asked.

"Fifteen, I think. I'm not sure..." Linda replied.

"Well, you look like you've adjusted pretty well."

"Yeah, now that I'm Terran. I was scared witless the first time I saw Clark, and if he hadn't spoken to me in Kryptonian, I'd have totally freaked. I spent some quality time aboard his shuttle, under the care of its AI, getting a total makeover. *That* was an interesting adjustment to make, let me tell you...I suppose it's just as well that most of my memories have been fogged, and only re-surface in my dreams."

"I can appreciate that."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"My memories are hazy, too. I can remember my early years well enough, and my days at the GP Academy, but something happened right afterwards...I can't remember what...it feels like there's a hole in my memory. Whatever it was, it changed me...somehow. I feel disoriented a lot, like a mild drunk."

"I wouldn't know about that," Linda said, shrugging.

"I am very impressed with your ship, ladies." Diana said. The panorama spread before her seemed to extend for miles, forest-covered hills topped with an azure sky overhead filled with wispy clouds. She could hear water cascading in the distance, which could only be from a waterfall. Large animals could be seen meandering through clearings in the trees. And at the center of the bowl-shaped valley stood a single Brobdinagian tree, clearly as high and as wide as a medieval cathedral, from which all paths and structures radiated. The table that they sat around was located on a patio, landscaped with blooming wildflowers and a well-manicured lawn. "This is so spacious..."

"Yes," Ayeka replied, clearly enjoying Diana's reaction. "Quite impressive, don't you think?"

"Absolutely. That description simply doesn't do justice to the reality."

"We Juraians are quite proud of the Royal Trees, and their ships."

"And well you should be."

"Yeah, yeah, it's all very pretty," Ryoko said.

Diana smiled at Ryoko's total lack of appreciation. "So, you were quite the terrorist?"

"Sure was."

"Are you proud of those accomplishments?"

Ayeka hiccupped, drawing a grin from Ryoko. The ladies had imbibed enough alcohol that their faces were starting to get flush.

"Not any more," Ryoko answered. "Ancient history. I'm trying to start over...but it isn't easy. I keep telling myself that I was a different person then...but old habits die hard."

"I'll attest to that," Ayeka said.

Ryoko's responding frown was stifled as Ayeka refilled her cup. "I was quite the obedient little machine," she sighed, "with little to look forward to in life except more missions for that scrotum. I was usually sent to fetch something -- and how I got it was not his concern. I learned early that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and that usually meant smashing everything in the way. After a while, I got so I *liked* wrecking things...and hearing people scream..."

"I can appreciate some of that," Diana offered. "Nothing is ever easy, and that usually means collateral damage. I do not enjoy destruction, it just seems part of the price for accomplishing my tasks."

Ryoko nodded. "Like fighting. It can be fun...sometimes...but more often that not I'd rather just slide away."

"I've never noticed that much reluctance on your part," Ayeka said to Ryoko. "Fighting is what you seem to do best -- other than drinking. You seem much more hesitant to perform your chores around the house."

"Ok, so I meant 'combat' rather than 'fighting'," Ryoko snapped. "People die in combat, and I've never killed anyone on purpose. They...just...seem to be in the way most of the time..."

"Well, the authorities must have agreed with that interpretation, or else the Statute of Limitations on your crimes would not have been allowed to expire," Ayeka said, sipping her sake. "Vandalism must carry much less weight than murder and terrorism -- which was Kagato's forte."

"He got what he deserved," Ryoko muttered, "and so did I. Solitary confinement for 700 years was no picnic."

Ryoko studied her sake, and Ayeka studied Ryoko.

"Youv'e been rather silent about your past, Princess Ayeka," Diana said.

Ayeka shrugged, stirring her sake with a fingertip. "My own experiences are far less dramatic than Ryoko's, I'm afraid. A string of tutors and suitors, for the most part."

Ryoko snorted derisively. "You did well enough defending your homeworld, all things considered -- oh, don't give me that look, it's true."

"That's very kind of you, Ryoko, but we both know the attempt was rather pathetic."

"Of course, being engaged to your brother –"

"Half-brother."

"-- was just a little odd, but you showed real guts by running off on your own to try and find him."

"That sounds impressive," Diana said, refilling their cups.

"I'm afraid Ryoko is not expressing all of the facts," Ayeka said to Diana. "First, I was *betrothed* to my older half-brother at a very early age, not *engaged*. There is a distinction."

"Not much of one," Ryoko countered.

"I was only four years old when the arrangement was made, and hardly in a position to consent or refuse. That was a betrothal. On the other hand, now that I am an adult, if I accept a marriage proposal from Lord Tenchi, then that would be an engagement."

"Nah, that would be a miracle."

Both ladies exchanged sneers, drawing a chuckle from Diana.

"I've been told I was quite different as a child," Ayeka continued, "being rather rowdy and ill-mannered. I even looked different."

"In what way?" Diana asked.

"My hair was the same color and texture as my mother's, and I shared her rather...unihibited...perspective. However, since my betrothed favored his mother's dark tresses and composed demeanor, I made extensive efforts to emulate her."

"Isn't that like trading one mother for another?" Ryoko asked.

Ayeka shrugged. "My focus for many years was on becoming the consummate companion for Yosho: demure, refined, well-educated, and strictly observing my duties as wife to a future emperor."

"Didn't quite work out that way, did it...?"

"No, it did not."

"And you went searching for Yosho by yourself?" Diana asked.

"Not immediately. Ryu-oh needed repairs, and I had to finish my studies and undergo the body-strengthening regimen. And when we did set sail, I took Sasami with me. We were perfectly safe."

"For that whole 700 year period?"

"We were in Stassis the whole time, marginally aware of Ryu-oh's search efforts, and the occasional communiqué from home. Our confinement was not nearly as arduous as Ryoko's was."

"I'm surprised neither of you returned to your previous lifestyles."

"I was no longer a wanted criminal," Ryoko said, "and I had a home and a family for the first time in my life. Somehow, piracy just didn't fit the bill."

"And you were in love?" Diana chided gently.

"Yeah, I was. Still am, I guess."

"What about you, Princess Ayeka?"

"I chose to forego returning to the Royal Court for much the same reason: I had become part of a rather...eccentric...family, that is much more in tune with my new goals. I even defied my father to stay on Earth, which was a very risky thing to do."

"Risky?"

"Among the Juraian peoples, there are severe social consequences for pursuing a course of action without the consent of one's parents. Duty to family, and personal obligations, are paramount above all other considerations. At first my father was not overly impressed with Lord Tenchi. Fortunately, my mother and half-mother were on my side -- and they can be very persuasive."

"I'll attest to that," Ryoko said.

"All that turmoil for the sake of love?" Diana chided gently.

Ayeka smiled. "Absolutely."

Lois watched the adolescent Washu disappear among the crowds of sapients. She turned back to Sasami, who was engrossed in a patch of purple-leafed plants, obviously considering adding some to the bagged collection she was already carrying. Sasami extended a blossom for the cabbit (riding comfortably on top of her head) to examine, who gave it only a passing sniff.

"Sorry, Ryo-Ohki, there are no carrots here for you."

"She likes carrots?" Lois asked.

"She loves them."

"Ah. So, are you looking for something in particular?"

"No, just some vegetables with different tastes. Tenchi really liked a soup recipe I tried last week, and I was looking for something new to add to it."

"Do you cook just for Tenchi?"

"No," Sasami blushed, "I cook for everyone...but if he likes something, I try to make it more often."

"Sounds like Tenchi is your Prince Charming," Lois teased.

"Who is Prince Charming?" Sasami replied absently.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I just assumed you'd heard the story about Sleeping Beauty."

"Oh, THAT Prince Charming!" Sasami giggled. "The warrior who fought his way thorugh a forest of thorns and a fierce dragon to rescue the sleeping princess."

"Yes, that one," Lois smiled.

"Well, Tenchi is most certainly able to fight thorns and dragons, and even worse things. If he wanted to."

"Would he do those things for you?"

"I guess so. I'd hope so."

"Do you hope he will want to some day?"

"I don't think there will be any dragons coming after me..."

"I didn't mean that you were going to be captured by a dragon. I was asking if you think Tenchi will care that deeply about you."

"Oh, you were asking me if I think Tenchi will marry me someday." Sasami began strolling among the gardens, with Lois keeping pace beside her.

"Yes."

"I *know* he will."

"You sound pretty sure about that."

"I am."

"But is that what you want?"

"Very much so. I love him, and I know he loves me."

"Uh, Sasami, he's almost a man, and you're still a little girl..."

"I think I see what you're trying to say, Mrs. Kent –"

"Lois."

"-- Lois: how do I know the difference between a school-girl crush and real love?"

Lois nodded, fascinated by this child.

"My human heart sees Tenchi as my Big Brother, my Boyfriend-To-Be. But there is another part of me, far older and wiser, that sees Tenchi as my Soul Mate, my Husband-To-Be. It sounds funny, but I *know* he is going to marry me some day, and he will make very, very happy."

"It's a big universe, Sasami, and full of boys your age who will grow up to be handsome, brave young men."

"And there are plenty of girls my age who will grow up and marry them."

"You know, it's just possible that you might take an interest in one of those young men some day."

"No, it's not possible. I'll already be married to Tenchi."

"Aren't you a llittle young to make such a serious commitment?"

"Not where I come from. My sister was betrothed before she was five years old."

"Really?" Lois studied the child beside her before admitting that, "I'm familiar with the idea of arranged marriages, but I've never met anyone who's been through one."

"It happens all the time on Jurai."

"And they all live happily ever after?"

"Nothing lasts forever," Sasami said, her eyes suddenly deep and fathomless, "and 10,000 years is just a heartbeat to Eternity -- but those 10,000 years can be treasured and remembered for a very long time."

Lois suddenly felt herself in the presence of someone/something very vast and ancient. And a thought occurred to her which must have been reflected in her face.

"Why do you look so sad, Lois?"

"Oh, I was just thinking...100 years will be just a heartbeat to someone who will live for thousands of years."

"Clark?"

Lois nodded. "I will die long before he does. How will he remember my face, vibrant and full of the happiness he gave me, or sallow and gray with age? And who will follow me?"

"Do you really need answers to those questions?"

"No, I suppose not." Lois suddenly remembered who she was talking to -- and it was NOT a woman of vast experience. "Say, just how old are you?"

Sasami smiled, the guiless, infectious, cherubic grin of a child, and the mysterious presence vanished utterly. "Almost ten. Why?"

"You seem older somehow."

"I get that a lot."

After a few steps, Tenchi cleared his throat. "Is there something troubling you?"

"What makes you say that?" Clark replied.

"You seem depressed."

"That's an awful quick judgment of someone you've just met, isn't it?" Clark chided gently.

Tenchi grinned. "I'm a quick study."

"I must be pretty obvious then," Clark sighed softly. "Yes, there is something troubling me."

"I find that hard to believe," Tenchi admitted. "Anyone with such awesome superpowers must be able to deal with just about anything."

"It's never been *that* easy, I'm afraid. Actually, I'm ready to hang up my cape and retire from the superhero business."

"Why?"

"I can't overcome the whole Multiverse, no matter how hard I try."

"I don't think anyone or anything can do that." They continued to pace awhile before Tenchi spoke. "I'm not Washu, but I do know a few things about the Multiverse. What's the problem?"

"I have been told that, according to the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics, parallel universes will be spun off whenever a quantum event occurs. Since each universe is a massive construction, with massive numbers of quantum events happening everywhere, and all at the same time...well, even allowing for a lot of overlap, the number being created at any given moment is enormous."

"Sounds about right. The Good News is that the amount of overlap is pretty high, so the number of universes being born each minute is pretty low. The Bad News is that each new universe behaves the same way, creating new universes of their own -- which is why the Multiverse, which is billions of years old, is real large."

"Ok...so, soon after the first universe was born, it began splitting into many parallel universes, much like a tree branching outwards from its trunk. All of these universes coexist at the same time, separated from each other by different vibration rates (or some such mechanism)."

"Yeah."

"And that, even though each branch is distinct and separate, very large objects (like planets and stars) will replicate across all of the branches because of their common ancestry, and the fact that such enormous gravity sources tend to weaken the barriers between universes."

"Yeah."

"So, because of these common influences, the same creatures are going to appear across vast numbers of those branches...even though their histories are going to vary widely."

"Yeah."

"But unlike the stars and planets, each copy of a creature is going to remain a unique individual...totally distinct...totally different from anything else in the entire Multiverse...and there is no chain connecting all those different copies together."

"So?"

"As I see it," Clark sighed, "the death of each copy becomes even more tragic than if there had been just the original."

"I don't follow."

"Once you snuff out a single flame, it is irretrievably lost; to quench so many flames, each a variation of the original, simply magnifies the loss. All those shades of expression, all those choices, all those chances..."

Tenchi studied Clark, the set of his shoulders, and expression of his face. "You value life, don't you?" It was less of a question than a statement of fact.

"Yes," Clark nodded. "I have sworn to uphold and protect life, particularly sentient life."

"Why?" The question lingered in the air.

"I have seen too much death," Clark finally replied. I hadn't even been born when my entire species was annihilated. A whole solar system turned to rubble. I have seen what my doppelgangers have encountered across the various universes....I have seen their victories...I have seen many of their deaths, mostly at the hands of Gog -- in fact, it was like I could *feel* their deaths." Clark shook his head, his face a haunted mask. "As if that wasn't apocalyptic enough, the Anti-Monitor unleashed an unstoppable wall of anti-matter that methodically eliminated one parallel universe after another....it is hard to imagine that a nearly-infinite number of universes were physically destroyed. I can't even wrap my mind around that idea, let alone the number of sentients that were totally erased, never to be recreated in any form. I'm told that, in the end, there were only five universes left."

"'...doppelgangers...'" Tenchi rolled the word over his tongue. "I've never heard that word before. Does that mean 'copies of yourself'?"

"Yes."

"I'm afraid some of your perceptions are inaccurate, Clark," a voice boomed from directly behind them.

Clark turned, and found three towering figures. The first had the emerald eyes and knee-length scarlet tresses of Washu, but definitely displayed the poise and posture of a mature woman, even if she was three times taller than the child. Three dots (jewels?) adorned her brow, riding above the now-familiar smirk. "Professor Washu?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes" the giant replied. She spoke with Washu's voice, but it was deeper and more evocative, possessing a transcendent quality.

Clark turned to the second figure, a tall and willowy woman with alabaster skin, twin azure ponytails that hung to her ankles, and coral-tinted eyes as enchanting as a summer sunrise. Two spots (gems?) floated on her brow, dancing with each twitch of her eyebrows. Though she, too, had made the change from cherub to angel, her smile was open and affectionate. "Sasami?"

"Yes...and no," the titan answered, with a voice that possessed the rolling resonance of cathedral bells.

Clark turned to the third figure, and hesitated. While shaped like a woman, there were...oddities...about her. Her eyes were sapphire almonds, with violet lids and miniscule pupils, quite ophidian and foreboding. Her pale skin was broadly covered with leaf-like tattoos that dripped down her cheeks and circled her neck. Her spiky hair was straw-colored and straw-shaped, and one large sphere (crystal?) crowned her face. "I'm afraid we haven't met."

"No, we haven't," the celestial answered evenly. Her voice was rich and sonorous...and alien.

"Clark, let me introduce you to the Chôshin, the Three Sisters: Washu-kami-sama, Tsunami-kami-sama, and Tokimi-kami-sama."

"Tsunami-kami-sama?" Clark asked, suddenly wary. "You're the transdimensional entity that destroyed one version of Krypton?"

"Yes," she replied sadly. "They perpetrated a great evil, and were punished for it."

"It must have been a *very* great evil to warrant extinction," Clark said in a level voice.

The titan simply nodded.

Clark turned his focus once more on Tenchi -- and found himself looking at yet another transformation: Tenchi had also changed, his posture, his bearing, were much more assured and commanding, relaxed and aware. And on his brow blazed three bars of blue-white light, spreading upward in a fan-shaped pattern. "And you no longer look like a mild-mannered carrot farmer. I take it the sleeper has awakened...is Tenchi still here?"

"Oh, yes, we are both awake and aware. A gestalt, if you will. Maybe you should think of us as 'Tenchi-kami' now." His voice, too, had acquired new depths.

Clark shook his head, wondering yet again what he had gotten himself into. "Okay...uh, Washu-kami-sama just said that my perceptions are inaccurate. How?"

Tenchi-kami gestured, indicating that they should continue their stroll. "No one person is ever really completely unique. Just as the stars and planets are connected at a base level, so, too, are the people. I've even heard it said that dreams are just the sharing of experiences between...doppelgangers."

"So, I really did feel their deaths?"

"At some level, yes. Also, the entire Multiverse was never at risk. True, the destruction was widespread, but not as encompassing as you may think. And there were those who were prepared to intervene directly if it got much worse."

"...'Prepared to intervene'...? If such entities existed, why would they hesitate?" The shock in Clark's voice matched the expression on his face.

"Have you forgotten so much about farming?"

"Huh? I don't understand."

"Nothing truly dies, my friend. A harvested field looks barren and dead, but it never truly is. Life returns in the spring. Sometimes a field is left fallow, so that it will return even stronger and richer than before."

Clark's stunned silence spoke volumes.

"The Multiverse was never reduced to five members, either. One of the main trunks was pruned, true, but you must remember that the branching mechanism has never ceased. The five branches of that trunk have since borne much fruit."

"So, it's almost like that destruction never happened?"

"No, it definitely happened. But there has been new growth. And, because of the interconnected nature of all things, those new universes are filled with doppelgangers of the creatures that inhabited the old universes. The cycle of creation continues unabated."

Clark paced in silence for a long time, head down and hands behind his back. His interlaced fingers beat in time with his thoughts. His escort began to observe the furrow's in Clark's brow become shallower, the slump in Clark's posture slowly dissipate, and the length of Clark's stride slowly increase.

"The Circle of Life," Clark mused.

"The Circle of Life," Tenchi-kami echoed.

"Got any boyfriends?" Mihoshi asked.

"Nah, not really. There is this one guy, Dick Malverne, who's kinda cute, but I don't think it's going to go anywhere."

"Why not?"

"I'm still kinda edgy around guys...this being Terran takes some getting used to. Clark was lucky, 'cause he grew up as one."

"I guess I can't really relate."

"It's ok. To be honest, Clark is the only person I completely trust -- besides Aunt Martha and Uncle Jonathan, of course. He makes me feel...I dunno...welcome and wanted, I guess. He's family, smart and tough and kind. There's simply no one else like him on the whole planet. He's a hard act to follow."

"Why don't you just marry him?"

"Helloooo, he's my cousin!"

"So? For one thing, how many Kryptonian genetics actually made it through your transformation intact? For another thing, it's mostly a social issue -- look at Tenchi, he's probably going to marry his grandfather's half-sisters, not to mention Washu and her *daughter* Ryoko! I say, if the opportunity presents itself, you should take it."

"Things might be different in my universe, you know."

"Yeah, and they might not. Maybe you should talk to Washu about it."

"I dunno..."

"And if doesn't happen, there are still a lot of cute guys out there..."

Linda snorted derisively. "Cute, yes; but normal guys are just too fragile, you know? Besides, most of them are just total dorks."

"I think you've adapted pretty well to being Terran," Mihoshi grinned.

Conversation paused briefly as five quadrupeds shuffled past, each over two meters tall, their three pairs of muscular eyestalks swaying rhythmetically above the long robes that concealed the remainder of their physiques. An assortment of squeals and clicks were emitted from their blubbery lips.

With some effort, Linda forced herself to stop staring. "Uh, what about you? Any boyfriends?"

"Oh, there were a couple along the way. Nothing serious. Until Tenchi, that is."

"And you're serious about him?"

"Absolutely."

"How does he feel?"

"I...think he cares for me. He's saved my life a couple of times. I hope there's something more between us than an obligation."

"From what that report said, it sounds like a marriage between you is pretty likely."

"I sure hope so."

"And you wouldn't object to being just one wife among many?"

"Nope."

"That's not even legal where I come from."

"It's legal in our universe, but not very common. The man in the middle is usually very rich, or very powerful."

"Is Tenchi rich or powerful?"

"Both," Mihoshi grinned. "And handsome, and kind, and courageous..."

"And younger than you."

"With our technology, humans live for thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of years. We age v-e-r-y slowly. It's just about impossible to guess someone's real age, especially when you can stay young and fit for centuries. Tenchi will be an adult in a few years, and then he'll stay that way for a long time."

"And you'll be right there, ready and waiting for him?"

"Yes. If he'll have me."

"Oh, he'll have you," Linda grinned, assuring her new friend.

Mihoshi smiled back, glad to have made a new friend of her own.

They sipped their drinks in silence, lost in thought, until Ryoko finally asked, "What about you, Diana? What's your story?"

"I am an Amazon from the Isle of Themyscria, also called Paradise Island." She studied their faces for signs of recognition, but found none. "I presume you have never heard of the Amazons?"

Two heads shook in unison.

"The Amazons of Paradise island were refugees, victims of war, rape, enslavement, and all manner of atrocities inflicted by men, who felt true justice and respect were forever denied them. They were gathered together by the Goddesses and borne to the safety of Themyscria. There they learned to hunt, farm, and fight, to be fully self-sufficient and independent."

"Ok," Ryoko shrugged. "Sounds pleasant enough, if a bit boring."

"There are other facets, of course. The island is a nexus, a place where multiple universes overlap...though it resides on Earth, it resides elsewhere at the sime time."

"A place of doorways," Ayeka said, nodding sagely. "We have some familiarity with portals, too."

"Just so," Diana agreed. "The Amazons have been free to explore the arts and sciences, to live in peace, in a refuge where no man was ever permitted to step foot –"

"No men?" Ryoko sputtered, spraying sake. "At all? EVER?!?"

"None. In return for such protection, the Amazons were required to guard the gateways to other universes." She reached for the sake bottle. "One of those doorways leads to Olympus, the pocket universe that houses the Gods, while others lead to realms of monsters and demons." She refilled their cups. "Due to the overlap, there is a sharing of properties from universe to universe. For instance, Themyscria is affected by the Earth's flow of weather -- and it is also affected by the Olympic flow of time."

"Peachy."

"Time moves quite slowly on our island; centuries might pass for the world at large, but only days will pass there. Over the last 3,000 years –"

"Whoa, hold it!" Ryoko interrupted. "Your island is full of women who haven't even *seen* a man in 3,000 years?"

"Well, yes and no...3,000 years from an Earth perspective, but less than 20 years have passed for those on the island. Not long enough for true isolation to set in, but still brief enough for old wounds to fester."

"Damn," Ryoko mumbled. "Kagato kept me on a tight leash for 5,000 years, but even *I* got out occasionally. No men, huh...so, what do they do about...?"

"The Amazons have developed various ways of handling their natural desires," Diana said softly. "Some are abstinent, some practice self-gratification, and some take pleasure in each other."

"Oh, my," Ayeka hiccupped. "Which method do you prefer -- if you don't mind my asking?"

"I've never considered myself fully human, so I never gave it much though," Diana replied. "There were always lessons to learn and tasks to perform."

"I can appreciate all of that," Ryoko whispered.

"Since I am not human, I do not age like a human. I can freely visit the Human World, Paradise Island, and even Olympus itself, and I will not suffer any of the penalties of varying time."

"That sounds very convenient," Ayeka said.

"The theory is impressive, the reality less so. Since I was not born a human, I have often questioned my humanity. To complicate matters even more, I was raised on an island full of women, with no exposure to men of any sort. You can imagine my confusion once I left. The influences and...preferences...are contradictory, to the say the least. I have no solid anchor to humanity."

"Oh, you've found an anchor alright," Ryoko countered. "What was that you said earlier about you and Clark...?"

"We...have a connection, a chemistry, between us. We have both felt it from our very first meeting."

"So...?"

"He is married to Lois. He has given his heart to her, and to her alone. So, we remain good friends."

"Are you comfortable with that arrangement?" Ayeka asked.

"I find myself in something of a paradox," Diana admitted. "Clark is, without a doubt, the most perfect man on Earth. He was built that way. Just as I was built as a perfect woman. We are naturally drawn to each other. But being perfect, he is a man of unyielding loyalty and high moral character. He will never willingly betray his wife...and to ask him to do so would make him less than he is."

"I see," Ayeka mused. "To possess him, he must be corrupted; to corrupt him, he is not worth possessing."

"That's an exaggeration, but you have the general idea."

"Things will change in time, you know," Ryoko said. "He'll become available eventually."

Diana made no reply, sipping her sake in silence.

"You could just go back to your island and wait a while, until she grows old and dies."

"I have considered that option," Diana said ruefully. "But there is an inherent risk."

"Oh? Like what?"

"I would only be gone a few weeks, retaining my feelings and memories. Over the decades of 'normal' time on Earth, Clark would have ample time to forget me." Diana stirred her sake with a fingertip, lips pressed together. "Perhaps he would even forge new attachments in my absence."

"Yeah, I see your point."

"You could marry a mortal, as Clark has done," Ayeka suggested.

"I have considered that option as well. I have even selected a few candidates...but I find that whole idea unappealing. Tell me, Ladies, have you looked at any other men since meeting Tenchi? Does anyone else compare favorably?"

"No, to both questions," Ayeka replied.

"Even though I did 'entertain a few candidates' in the distant past," Ryoko admitted, "they weren't very satisfying." She sighed before tipping her cup.

"Our future with Tenchi remains uncertain."

"Perhaps this whole topic should placed be in perspective," Diana said. "Does Tenchi love you both?"

"He cares for us, certainly. He has risked his life for us. But is that love, or simply taking responsibility for us as his houseguests?"

"Has he made any speeches or gestures with romantic intentions?"

"No."

"He's been real cagey about that," Ryoko added. "He won't let anyone get too close to him."

"But there have been moments..." Ayeka whispered.

"Yeah, there have been..."

"Then he's probably just not ready yet," Diana said. "He's what, 18 years old?"

"17," Ayeka corrected. "He was only 15 when he released Ryoko from her cave."

"Is it possible that he's simply overwhelmed by all of you? I'm not familiar with Japanese customs, but isn't there a certain amount of separation between the sexes, at least until after high school?"

"Yes, from what I have observed. It is a foreign concept from the Juraian perspective."

"It's all new to me," Ryoko added. "I've never been in this situation before."

"May I assume that polygamy and polyandry are legal in the Juraian Empire?" Diana asked.

"Yes, marriage contracts are very flexible, and devisive issues such as insurance and inheritance have long-established protocols to follow. My own father has two wives, for instance."

"So...the issues here are really emotional, rather than bureaucratic or traditional?"

"Yes."

"Then, I would pose two questions for you each to consider. The first is: Is Tenchi capable of loving more than one wife at a time?"

Ryoko and Ayeka framed pensive expressions before exchanging glances.

"I think he is," Ryoko said.

"I concur," Ayeka said.

"Then, you're saying he is capable of giving both of you the emotional support and protection that you require from him?"

"Yes," they chorused.

"Could that umbrella even extend beyond you, to the other members of your household?"

"Yes," they chorused.

"Then it appears to me that me your concern is over whether the presence of multiple wives in the family would cause a dilution of intimacy -- and that you'd be among the losers in a game of 'playing favorites'. It also appears to me that your Tenchi is quite capable of rising to the challenge, that he's a 'Superman' in his own right."

"So, what's the second question?" Ryoko asked.

"Are you willing to share him, or live without him?" Diana studied their faces, then refilled their cups.

Ryoko and Ayeka stared thoughtfully at their sake reflections, faces pinched in contemplation.

Noike had waited patiently while Sasami unveiled each of her acquisitions, explaining the characteristics of each plant in exquisite detail. After a short discussion, Sasami retreated at a brisk trot, shopping bags slapping against her legs, ponytails whipping in her wake, eyes focused on a distant vendor.

"Look at her go!" Lois exclaimed.

"Yes, I envy such enthusiasm and purpose," Noike replied. Then the smile faded from her lips, and she glanced at Lois. "I envy you, too." Her voice was soft, almost reluctant.

"Why would you envy me?"

"You are married to the man you love. You have him all to yourself. Those are wishes in my world."

"It's not without cost," Lois replied, in a tone of voice that matched Noike's.

"I do not understand."

"I'm married to a superhero...a warrior, if you will. He places his life at risk constantly, and he is often gone for days at a time. I have learned to live with fear, apprehension, frustration, and anger because of his lifestyle. But because I love and honor him, I have made a personal choice to deal with it as best as I can."

"This is his duty, yes?"

"A self-imposed duty."

"In my culture, personal duty always precedes other considerations. It is our way...but it is often a lonely way, and often filled with sacrifices."

"Sacrifices," Lois echoed. "When he revealed his secret to me, I knew that he served a higher calling...I figured that I could handle those demands. After all, my father was a soldier, and his job put him at risk, too, with long absences from his family. My mother learned to cope, and she never complained...so I figured that, if she could handle it, then so could I. But I'll admit, it hasn't been easy."

Noike said nothing, waiting in silence.

"For instance, whenever he dons that costume, he removes his wedding ring. Perhaps in your culture, it is not so significant; but in my family, my father *never* took off his wedding ring, and he was a professional soldier." Lois paused, inspecting her own wedding ring. "Clark has explained to me that he *has* to remove it, that a wedding ring would notify his enemies that he has a family (a weakness to be exploited). He also does it to protect the ring, since it could easily be damaged or destroyed. So he leaves it at home, with his fake glasses, his civilian clothes...and me." Lois sighed, rubbing her hands together. "I learned quickly enough what the wives of doctors and policemen and firefighters have to endure -- but I have no support group to fall back on. There isn't a Superheroes' Spouses Club to commiserate with."

"Yet, I still envy you."

"Why?"

"We have chosen to love exceptional men, gifted with abilities and duties that are difficult to comprehend. They have chosen to accept their fates, and we must learn to live with that. However, your Clark has professed his love to you, and committed his life to you...and you alone. It is to you he turns when he is troubled, and injured, and happy. This will not be the case with my Tenchi."

"How so?"

"Our engagement was arranged by my foster mother. There was no place for personal feelings in any of it. We are members of a powerful clan, after all, and political necessities must be observed. But I found the prospect of marriage to him quite attractive," Noike absently rubbed her hands together. "But there are others who love him, just as deeply, and with claims on his heart that predate mine. The wedding will occur, but the marriage may be a hollow one."

"Has Tenchi expressed any opinions, one way or another?"

"No, he has not. He cares for all of us, but he has never spoken of love. We all hope to be his chosen...but every day it looks more and more like it will be an all-or-nothing arrangement."

"Everybody wins, everybody loses."

Noike's gaze was level and intense. "I do not relish the though of sharing my husband with five other women. At least you have your Clark all to yourself, even if only for small slices of time."

Lois' gaze was just as level and intense. "I *already* share my husband. I share him so much that I jealously guard every moment we have together...because I know that some emergency will always claim him, that he cannot answer every cry for help, but will try anyway. And there is never any shortage of victims." Lois looked away, her eyes searching the cavern wall for that distant crimson cape. "My life revolves around those slices of time."

"That is, quite simply, the best I can hope for."

"Who are you?" Clark asked. "Or should I say, *what* are you?"

Tenchi-kami's crooked smile was disarming and amused. "More than we appear."

Clark said nothing, just watching the boy-shaped entity in silence.

"Very well," Tenchi-kami sighed. "Your universe, a seemingly-infinite bowl of galaxies filled with life and light and mass, is very much like the shoals of a reef. It is shallow, full of color and movement and diversity. Those who dwell within your reef come in all shapes and sizes and potentials; most are small in size and scale, though a few giants do exist. Your lives are spent in the all-too-brief, all-too-frenetic dance of surviving and breeding and competing, generally unaware of the slow currents that wash your homes from the deep sea."

"The deep sea," Clark echoed. "Is that where you are from?" His gaze swept the group, including them in the question.

"Yes," Tenchi-kami replied, "and no."

"How can you be both?"

"Do you know what a tesseract is?" Tenchi-kami asked.

"A hypercube," Clark answered. "the fourth-dimensional equivalent of a three-dimensional cube."

"It might be more useful to reverse that description, and consider that a cube is a three-dimensional shadow of a fourth-dimensional tesseract."

"I fail to see the significance."

"It's actually quite significant, Clark," Washu-kami-sama said. "Have you ever walked along a riverbank, or a lake –"

"Or the sea," Tenchi-kami interjected.

"-- Or the sea," Washu-kami-sama smiled, "and observed the fish swimming below? And having observed those fish, did you ever kneel down and insert a fingertip into the water?"

"Yes."

"What do you think those fish saw?"

"A finger," Clark replied.

Washu-kami-sama groaned. "Do you think those fish knew what they were seeing?"

"Probably not."

"Do you think those fish were aware of the wrist above that finger, and the arm connected to the wrist, and remainder of your body?"

"No."

"All they saw was an extension of you, a 'shadow' if you will, of a creature whose true form, shape, and potentials were completely beyond their experience. And if those fish couldn't recognize it, they surely couldn't communicate with it."

"And so you changed the shape of your finger, so that it looks and behaves more like a fish...like one of us?"

"For the most part, yes."

"Why?"

"Let me tell you a story," Tenchi-kami resumed. "Once upon a time there were three leviathans who swam together in the great deeps of the sea. Lithe and beautiful and powerful they were, like dragons."

"You're so sweet," Tsunami-kami-sama giggled.

Tenchi-kami smiled, and turned back to Clark. "Those lovely celestials were the Chôshin, who were born into a hyperdimension far beyond normal space and time, riding high above the multitude of universes that comprise the Multiverse. As they grew, they watched it expand and evolve. Washu-kami-sama, Tsunami-kami-sama, and Tokimi-kami-sama could see anything and everything, affecting it directly, rearranging whole swaths of it to suit themselves, and just generally letting the Multiverse blossom at its own pace. However, over the eons, these celestials...these kami...became aware of contradictions, irregularities that defied logic, which led them to speculate that there may be even greater beings than themselves."

"I find that difficult to fathom," Clark said.

Washu-kami-sama interrupted: "A lower dimensional being *by nature* cannot comprehend a higher dimensional being, because the n-dimensional difference is impossible to synthesize in thought. That same limitation applies to us kami just as much as it applies to you mortals. The existence of holes in our knowledge, events which we could not predict or calculate, suggested that there might be a superior being. Are you familiar with the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?"

"Yes: the more precisely the position of a subatomic particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum is known, and vice versa."

"That principle of indeterminacy ripples across the Multiverse in many profound ways...it even affects the hyperdimension. In other words, the more effort we applied to the problem, and the firmer our absolutes, then the further away we were from proving our theory. Considering the powers at our command, you can begin to see the magnitude of our failure."

"And your frustration?" Clark mused.

"That was a foreign emotion then. However, our analyses determined that random chance should produce rare examples of sapients endowed with links into higher dimensions -- including the realm that we postulated might exist above our own. Think about that: among the vast numbers of sapient beings spread throughout the Multiverse, only a few gifted individuals would appear spontaneously, with no predictable pattern or position. Even for kami, the task of finding these transients was a daunting one."

"Like looking for a needle in a haystack," Clark said.

"More like looking for a perfectly square wave to appear on the surface of an ocean; it's impossible to predict where or when or what size or for how long it will exist. Anyway, we determined that there are two forms of these extradimensional linkages, or 'anomalies'. The first type of anomaly is the 'deva,' a mortal creature capable of reaching into higher realities, but still very much grounded in a 3-D universe. And the second type is the 'avatar,' a corporeal incarnation, or extension, of an extradimensional entity into a 3-D universe."

"Stalagmites and stalactites," Clark replied, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"What?"

"An analogy," Clark said. "A stalagmite is a mineral deposit on the floor of a cave that extends towards the roof. A stalactite is a mineral deposit that extends from the roof of a cave towards the floor. By following the analogy, a deva is a demigod, a mortal with a multidimensional mutation, and inherently limited. He or she is a stalagmite reaching towards the heights. While an avatar is a mortal expression of a higher-order creature, created when a higher-dimensional entity links to an existing anomaly within a lower-dimensional entity. He or she is a stalactite reaching down from the heights."

"Exactly!" Washu-kami-sama cackled. "Well, almost exactly. We can create an avatar from scratch, too."

"Convenient. But isn't it rather difficult crafting a complete life-form, what with all the little nuances and details, like DNA..."

"For an entity that is able to read and write in multiple dimensions simultaneously, on a nearly limitless scale? Nah, it's not all that complicated," Washu-kami-sama smirked. "Anyway, neither of these naturally-occurring anomalies would appear at birth; to activate it, a deva or an avatar would have to be put in deadly peril, so that at the point of death the barriers would dissolve and the anomaly would manifest. Naturally, the risks were high: at the death of the sapient, the anomaly would be extinguished, and though the sapient could be resurrected, the anomaly could not. Thus, a narrow window of opportunity was defined."

"'Resurrect the sapient'...are you saying that you have the power to raise the dead?"

"To a point, yes." She could read the skepticism in his eyes, but chose to ignore it. "At any rate, we decided to change tactics. We began a search of the Multiverse, looking for species that contained latent potentials for producing those anomalies. Our efforts led us to Tenchi's universe, to his galaxy, to humanity, who displayed real glimmerings of future potentials. At the time, that galaxy was dominated by an ancient civilization that had spent many thousands of years building an empire, exploring, colonizing –"

"Krypton." It was not a question.

"Yes," she replied. "As I said, we detected primitive potentials within humanity. Very faint, but very definite."

"How? Genetics?" Clark asked.

"Only partially; it has more to do with higher level energy matrixes. Using the earlier analogy, it would be the combination of submerged terrain and oceanic currents that *might* form a square wave. Anyway, these potentials were confined to three or four offshoots of the species, scattered about the galaxy. So we decided to wait and observe, allowing time to pass naturally, remaining in a state of dormancy in nearby subspace."

"Well, two of us *tried*," Tsunami-kami-sama added.

"The Kryptonians became aware of us," she explained, "and they were able to contact *me*. To be honest, they coaxed me into creating my first avatar –"

"I don't think the 100-ft-high giant was very effective," Tsunami-kami-sama teased.

"Then why did you assume the same form?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Anyway," Washu-kami-sama groaned, "after creating that first avatar, I then transferred most of my essence into three gem-like containers as a physical interface, making these available to the scientists/politicians/priests of the society."

"Why?" Clark asked.

"To buy their assistance as extra eyes, to monitor our experiment."

"I assume the bargain soured over time?"

"Yes: they got greedy and devised a way to lure me into a moon-sized containment facility and trap me there, keeping me dormant and isolated. Over several decades, my physical form provided sufficient material to make three normal-sized clones, dubbed B1, B2, and B3. Each was given one of the gems, and manipulated into doing the bidding of the bureaucracy. Unfortunately, B3 had the audacity to fall in love with a mortal, which corrupted her programming, and she escaped. The other two clones were sent after her, and B3 was killed in the inevitable confrontation. B3's death scream woke Tsunami from her slumber."

"And the whole civilization became suddenly extinct," Clark growled. "Why destroy an entire society, when only a minority were involved?"

"The confrontation between the clones had been so destructive that billions of people had died in the conflict," Tsunami-kami-sama said solemnly. "Whole planets were rendered barren and sterile. The leaders were forced to reveal our existence to the society at large, and word spread rapidly throughout their empire. Reactions ranged from religious awe to paranoid fear. Their entire civilization seemed on the verge of a suicidal rampage, which could have conceivably destroyed the very potentials we were trying to protect. This could not be permitted. So I obliterated Krypton and sewed confusion among its children, thus driving them into a dark age...and my sister and I resumed our efforts under the cloak of chaos."

Clark said nothing, pondering the celestial's revelation.

Washu resumed her narrative: "I remained in that confinement facility until it decayed some centuries later, and then escaped, retrieving my gems. That experience did cause us to re-evaluate our thinking. If we continued to monitor from afar, we might miss the the very results we desired, simply because your human lifespans are so brief. Yet, if we took a more pro-active posture, we would unintentionally alter the conditions that would produce the superior being. And as we had just learned, using agents proved to be unsatisfactory. There was simply no other alternative: we had to *personally* participate in the Grand Experiment. Tsunami and I decided to follow that particularly promising trace, albeit from different directions. Therefore, our first action was to have Tokimi place seals upon us, to prevent the accidental rupture of that universe. And, since I chose to manifest as a lower-dimensional being in order to directly experience the environment, I also had to seal my memories."

"If old knowledge prevents you from acquiring new knowledge," Clark said, "then perhaps discarding the old knowledge will eliminate the barrier?"

"Quite so. I spent the subsequent centuries maneuvering through human society, keeping an eye on the Grand Experiment. In the mean time I started creating assistants to act as my extended eyes."

"I took a more benign approach," Tsunami-kami-sama said. "Since there was no way of knowing how many anomalies may have appeared and perished in the eons preceding our arrival, I decided to concentrate on preserving the Juraian Imperial bloodline, and to encourage its members to mate with other potentially anomalous bloodlines, such as the Earth-born descendents. My purpose was simply to remain vigilant and be prepared to intervene in whatever manner was necessary to ensure the survival of any anomalies."

"A midwife," Clark mused.

"And I, too, crafted assistants in the form of the Royal Trees."

"What was your role?" Clark asked Tokimi-kami-sama.

"My role become one of massive intervention: I would induce catastrophe and destruction across the Multiverse, waiting for the anomalies that would appear at random among the swarms of life forms being extinguished."

"Hold it," Clark interrupted. "You said that you 'induced catastrophe and destruction across the Multiverse'...are you talking about *wars*?"

"And other disasters, yes," she replied. "My methods were not so discreet as my sisters' -- residents of those affected universes occasionally detected the hyperdimensional source of the chaotic differentials, and often attempted to interfere. I permitted those efforts, naturally." She tipped her head, eyebrows raised, as she saw a shocked expression forming on Clark's face.

"I see, so we lower-order sapients are little better than insects -- or would bacteria be a better analogy?"

"From our perspective, there is no difference."

"I see...'kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out.'"

"Precisely."

"That's genocide," Clark replied, voice and expression hardening.

"Have a care, mortal, you are treading on dangerous ground."

"Or else what? You'll blast me into atoms, or erase my existence from history? It sounds like you've had plenty of practice!"

Tokimi-kami-sama bristled visibly, and was about to reply when Tenchi-kami cleared his throat. "Don't be so quick to judge her, Clark. Any death and destruction she produced was reversed as soon as it became apparent that no anomalies had appeared."

"Oh? How?"

"A shifting in time," Tokimi-kami-sama replied condescendingly, obviously addressing a mind too limited to comprehend the mechanics.

"What about those occasions when an anomaly *did* appear?"

"That stream of causality could not be altered, or the anomaly would never have manifested."

"In other words, the dead stayed dead," Clark answered bitterly.

"We celestials are not unaffected by the death cries of the lower orders," Tsunami-kami-sama said apologetically.

"My experiences say otherwise," Clark countered. "Imperiex Prime, for instance."

"Not all kami are identical...much like you mortals."

Clark's reaction was a simple raising of one eyebrow, and a mild snort.

"Not every incident resulted in destruction," Tokimi-kami-sama continued, voice cool and controlled. "A few sapients approached the higher dimensional disturbance with curiosity, rather than alarm. Some even contacted my subordinates, and then were recruited as agents to assist our original servants."

Clark lapsed into a long silence, before finally stopping and turning to face them.

"It doesn't really matter what I think, does it? The Multiverse is beyond my power to change, and doesn't really care anyway. I presume your Grand Experiment was a success?"

Washu-kami-sama grinned. "I'd say so. After all, he's standing right here!"

Clark looked at Tenchi-kami, who smiled back. "*You're* the 'superior being' that kept them hunting for millions of years?"

"Yes," Tenchi-kami nodded.

"You don't look all-powerful."

"I have a lot growing to do...ask me again in ten thousand years, maybe I'll look the part then."

"I should live so long," Clark said absently. The celestials exchanged knowing glances. "By your own analogy, if these ladies are sea dragons, what does that make you?"

"A dragon of the sky," Tsunami-kami-sama answered, "as far above us as we are above mortals."

"Now who's being sweet?" Tenchi-kami teased.

As an answer, all three ladies gathered around him holding his hands or simply touching him.

"So, what's the Galaxy Police like?" Linda asked.

"It's a career, a job like any other, I suppose," Mihoshi answered. "A lot of long hours on patrol, the occasional confrontation with pirates, mountains of paperwork..."

"And you're all alone?"

"I've had partners in the past, but they never seem to stay long." Mihoshi sighed, swirling the juice in her cup. "I've been told I'm 'lucky'...I stumble from crisis to crisis, somehow managing to come up smelling like a rose while everyone around me gets trashed. I wear out all my partners, or send them to the hospital, or...worse."

"Sounds like a sore subject. Sorry."

"It's not your fault. Actually, it's nice to have someone to talk to about it. Like Yukinojo."

"Who's Yukinojo?"

"My GP cruiser -- or, to be more precise, the AI personality embedded into my cruiser. He's managed to keep me in one piece for quite a while, and has gotten me out of some serious situations. He's even the reason I met Tenchi."

"Oh? Do tell."

"I was patrolling a Reserved Area, looking for a wanted criminal, and hit a subspace pocket."

"A subspace pocket?"

"They're like small thunderstorms in local spacetime; they appear randomly, and usually don't last long, but are a real hazard to navigation. I was actually in close Earth orbit when I managed to fly Yukinojo right into one, and he ejected me just before the ship fell into the pocket."

"Wow."

"The Bad News is that I was unconscious, and pretty high off the ground; the Good News is that the pocket sucked a lot of loose debris into the air -- including Tenchi. He caught me, and broke my fall."

"What happened to Yukinojo?"

"Washu extracted him from the subspace pocket, and helped repair the damage. Actually, she's made a regular practice out of repairing him for me."

"And Tenchi? Isn't he affected by your 'luck'?"

"He seems to be the only one NOT affected by it. About the only time I can ever completely relax is when he's around. He just has that affect on me."

"I can relate to that, I think."

Mihoshi smiled at her. "Yeah, you probably can."

A flock of sapients drifted by, human-sized gasbags each topped with a sensor cluster resembling a pine cone, and with three long tentacles dangling at regular intervals from the mid-section. There were intricate emblems tattooed across the lift-sacs, and a bassoon-sounding chord resonated from the leader...although there didn't appear to be any mouth to make the sound with. Linda stared at them open-mouthed, refocusing only after Mihoshi pointedly cleared her throat. "We don't have any Galaxy Police that I know of, except maybe the Green Lantern Corps."

"What's that?"

"A very ancient civilization in our galaxy has deputized representatives from intelligent races in each sector, and issued them rings that act a lot like Juraian Tree Ships."

"How so?"

"Well, each ring recognizes its assigned partner, reads the partner's mind, and uses the energy it draws from subspace to build whatever the partner wants."

"We GP don't have anything like that," Mihoshi said, "but we are issued these." She reached behind her and unlocked a small object from her belt, which she set on the table. At first glance it looked like a powder-puff, but as she began massaging it, it transformed into a golden-hued cube.

"What is it?"

"It's a subspace portal. It can hold all kinds of things, just like a closet. Real useful for keeping your tactical gear and general supplies in. I just have trouble making it work most of the time..." Since Linda didn't seem overly interested in it, Mihoshi reverted it back into its 'low-profile' mode and clipped it on her belt.

Linda took a long sip from her juice and chuckled. "This has been fun. I'd like to think we could do this again some time, but I don't think it will happen. I mean, 'whole different universes' and all..." She leaned over the table, resting her chin in her hands.

"Yeah, me too." Mihoshi mirrored the gloomy posture.

"I'd really like to be at your wedding."

"IF there's a wedding."

"WHEN there's a wedding."

Mihoshi simply shrugged, accepting the rebuke in the spirit it was intended. She decided to change the subject. "We came here aboard Sasami's Royal Tree Ship; what kind of ship brought you here?"

"We didn't use a ship -- we came by Boom Tube."

"What's that?"

"Some kind of 'subspace tunnel'. They're generated by a Mother Box (whatever THAT is). The real advanced types use them to get around between planets. Clark got one that was bigger and stronger than anyone else's, and that's what brought us here."

"I wonder where he got the enhanced unit from...?" Mihoshi sighed.

"Where do you think?" Washu's voice said, startling both ladies. She appeared a moment later, dragging a chair up to the table and then planting herself in it.

"You gave it to him?"

"Of course! No one else in his universe had figured out the proper procedures yet. So I acquired a Mother Box and made the necessary upgrades."

"Then...we could actually come back here some day," Linda pondered.

"More than that: Clark's Mother Box could actually generate a Boom Tube directly from *your* Earth..." Washu gestured at Linda, "...to *our* Earth," Washu's hand flipped back to indicate herself and Mihoshi. "Or any place in Jurai space, for that matter (all it would need are proper coordinates)."

"That's awesome!" Linda exclaimed.

"Thank you, Washu!" Mihoshi added, clapping her hands. However, the smile and radiant expression faded quickly. "But, how would Linda get the coordinates? And with my patrol schedule, how could would we arrange her visit when I'm actually at Tenchi's house?"

"Funny you should ask that," Washu replied drolly. A small blask disk appeared in the air beside her, a cartoon-like 'hole' into which she inserted her hand, and from which she extracted two small devices. She pushed the mechanisms across the table.

"What are these?" Linda asked.

"Transdimensional communicators. You two ladies can talk directly through them, like cell phones. Should you ever agree on a time for a visit, let me know, and I'll give Clark the coordinates he needs."

"How do these things work?"

"Just push the button on the side, and tell it who you want to talk to."

Linda examined her communicator, found the button, pressed it. "Kuramitsu Mihoshi!"

Within seconds, Mihoshi's communicator started beeping. She snatched it off the table, fumbling with it clumsily.

Washu groaned. "Honestly, Mihoshi, just press the button along the edge."

Mihoshi did so, and uttered a hesitant, "Hello?" Her voice echoed from the handset Linda was holding.

"This is so cool!" Linda said, her voice echoing from Mihoshi's handset.

"When you're done, ladies, just press the button to disconnect."

The blondes exchanged excited grins.

"Now, where did you get the juice from?" Washu started to walk towards the line of kiosks, but stopped to converse with a giant broccoli stalk which was shambling slowly in the same direction. It was nearly four meters in height, supported by three tentacular legs as tall as she was. Between each pair of legs dangled one heavy-lifting arm flanked by two delicate arms, all boneless, all ending in a forked 'hand'. The creature's 'head' flared outwards dramatically, concealing sensor pods and breathing filters. It gave the appearance of showing the diminutive human a great deal of deference.

"Guess I'll get to be at your wedding after all," Linda grinned.

"Sure looks that way," Mihoshi replied.

"You think you're stronger than me?" Ryoko asked, in the honey voice that her friends dreaded.

Diana shrugged. "I don't think it makes much difference in the grand scheme of things." She emphasized the point by taking a long pull on her sake.

Ryoko snorted. "I'll take that to mean you concede the point."

"That's not what I said," Diana sighed. "We live in separate universes, Ryoko. We will probably never see each other again. Such comparisons are a waste of time."

"Not to me."

Diana realized she was facing a dog with a bone in her teeth -- and the large quantity of alcohol ingested so far had only served to irritate whatever character flaw needed the attention. She exchanged glances with Ayeka, whose eyes rolled ever-so-slightly towards the artificial dome above them. She placed her cup back on the table and leaned forward, resigned to settling the issue as peacefully as possible. "Very well, since you consider the issue so important: how do you want to test it?"

"Let's arm wrestle!" Ryoko carefully pushed the sake bottle and cups from the center of the table (she wasn't THAT drunk), and planted her right elbow squarely in the center, hand held high and fingers eager.

Diana chuckled and rolled her eyes, amused by the whole situation. "Oh, all right. Let's settle this and move on." She mirrored Ryoko's posture, grasping the latter's hand firmly. She could smell the sake on Ryoko's breath. "Whenever you're ready."

"Go!" Ryoko commanded, and leaned forward. The muscles in her arm bulged with the effort, the tendons of her hand stretched taught like cables, and the scarlet gem in her left ear flared visibly.

Diana smiled, evaluating her opponent's efforts -- and then slowly and casually forced Ryoko's knuckles down onto the table top.

"Aw, damn," Ryoko muttered, massaging her wrist. "I used to be Top Dog, but ever since that body-strengthening technology got passed 'round..."

"She has been unable to grapple me into submission, as well," Ayeka added.

Diana shrugged and reached for her cup. "I told you earlier, my strength is a gift from the goddess Demeter, in memoriam to her daughter Persephone. I can draw upon it whenever and wherever I need it. There are few individuals who can match me in a confrontation."

"Like who?"

"Clark's cousin Linda, a few metahumans. And Clark of course...no one is stronger than Clark."

Both Ayeka and Ryoko raised an eyebrow and exchanged smiles. "I know a little about drawing power, too," the latter said. "My power comes from three ancient gems, but at the moment I only have this one," she indicated the glowing bauble dangling from her left earlobe. "If I had all three gems, I could show you some really impressive power displays."

"I think we should have that 'quality-vs-quantity' discussion again, Little Ryoko," Washu's voice said, startling everyone. She sat down between Ayeka and Ryoko, studying Diana intently. "Tell me about your background, Diana. What are you made of?"

"Excuse me?" Diana asked, confused by the question.

"I heard you tell my daughter that you were created, not born. What are you made of?"

Diana should have felt just a bit offended by such a direct interrogation, but she found the whole group quite amusing (perhaps it was the 'sake' that she was drinking). "I do not know, Professor. I never bothered to ask. I always assumed it was common clay, or perhaps some vein of marble. Why?"

"Would you mind letting me do a quick scan of your body? I promise, it won't hurt and it won't take long."

"Of course," Diana nodded. She reached for the sake bottle and refilled everyone's cups.

"Thanks," Washu replied. She opened a dimensional portal in the air beside her head and extracted a ball-shaped apparatus from the pocket. This she carried around behind Diana and mounted on her scalp. "Sit up straight, please. There's a counter-grav unit in the housing, so it's virtually weightless, but it needs to be kept stationary."

Diana complied, sitting comfortably with her shoulders squared and her hands on her lap. Across the table, Ryoko and Ayeka grinned at her and hoisted their cups in salute.

A shadow keyboard appeared in the air beside Washu, whose ephemeral keys flashed with light as her fingers danced across them. In moments a series of data panels appeared in the air above the keyboard, covered with multi-colored graphs and streaming rows of figures. Diana watched the whole show with an air of curious detachment.

"Well, I'll be..." Washu chuckled. She made adjustments that erased the majority of the floating windows, the remaining screens expanding to twice their size. Several audible beeps could be heard. "Life is full of surprises, young lady, and you have just given me quite a lovely one."

"My pleasure, "Diana replied, "although I fail to see how."

With a final flourish, Washu entered her last instructions, dismissing the data panes and the keyboard. She removed the globe from Diana's head and carefully replaced it into the subspace portal (which promptly disappeared). Producing a cup of her own, she filled it with sake and returned to her seat. "I sometimes forget that even the most unique and rare item will eventually be reproduced somewhere."

"Washu..."

"Hush, Ryoko, I'm enjoying this. And so should you." Washu turned to face Diana, saying, "You were not made from common clay nor a marble block, young lady; you are made of Masu."

"What the hell...!" Ryoko sputtered. Ayeka was equally nonplussed.

"What is Masu?" Diana asked, confused by their response.

"It's a primitive, mineral-based, semi-sentient life form. It is polymorphic in nature, as well as capable of conducting prodigious amounts of energy. Probably one of the first forms of life to appear in the primordial universe...or should I say, the Multiverse. I've only found one remaining instance in our galaxy in the last 20,000 years; I'm guessing your creator had similar experiences."

Diana studied Washu silently for a moment before replying. "I'm not so unique after all?"

"Nope."

"Please continue, Professor."

"One of the benefits of Masu is that it bonds so easily to other life forms. I infused the colony that I found with one of my own eggs –"

"-- And Kagato's little contribution," Ryoko sneered quietly.

Washu's emerald eyes regarded her daughter intently. "He's ancient history, Ryoko. Tenchi removed him forever."

"Thank God."

"As I was saying, I infused a Masu colony with specific human DNA, and Ryoko here is the result."

"In other words, my...creator...used a similar process to construct me?"

"Yep. You aren't just animated rock, Diana, but a human being with a radically different cellular structure."

"But I am *human*?"

"In every sense of the word."

"I have often wondered about the nature of my soul, and if I even have one."

"Oh, you have a soul, to the same extent that the rest of us do."

"Then, can she do everything that I can do?" Ryoko asked.

"No, because the Masu in your bodies are of different strains, and thus have different properties, and thus express energy in different formats -- but they still behave in the same general manner, as energy amplifiers."

"But, she doesn't have anything like the gems..."

"Sure she does: her patrons, who are of a similar nature."

"What other...properties...does this Masu possess?" Diana asked.

"Masu have one serious weakness: they are generally passive creatures that will follow the strongest will in close proximity. In practical terms, it means that a very strong telepath can override the will of the entire colony."

"Do you mean, I will lose coherence -- I will *dissolve* like rain-washed mud?"

"No, nothing quite so drastic. The gestalt, the hive, will not fragment, but it can be subverted. Ryoko has had several such experiences of that process in the past."

"Yeah, that bastard Kagato could turn me into a marionette whenever he wanted to. He even turned me to *stone* once," Ryoko couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her.

"Fortunately, I'm a stronger ESPer than he was, and over-rode the command," Washu said smugly.

"I have never noticed any kind of interference in the past..." Diana mused.

"And you may never encounter someone powerful enough (or savvy enough) to lure away the focus of the collective. But you should be aware of the possibility."

"Thank you, Professor, I am indebted to you for the knowledge." She sipped her sake thoughtfully, then asked, "And what about procreation? Is a Masu...creature...capable of bearing young?"

"I've often wondered about that myself," Ryoko added, "ever since I met Tenchi, and started thinking about the future."

"Ever the optimist," Washu needled gently. Rather than frowning, Ryoko actually blushed. "At a guess, I'd say *both* of you ladies are capable of bearing a child. Or children."

Ryoko and Diana exchanged glances.

"I can't speak for your history, Diana, but in Ryoko's case the whole reproductive cycle was disabled long ago."

"What do you mean, *disabled*?" Ryoko asked.

"Have you ever had a period, Little Ryoko?"

"Well, no..."

"Haven't you ever considered just why that is?"

"No, I was just glad that I didn't have to deal with that issue."

"As were we all," Ayeka muttered into her sake. Ryoko glared at her.

"If and when you ever want children, Ryoko, 'that issue' will become quite important: it will have to be re-enabled and fully operational." Washu watched her daughter's reaction with an amused grin, before turning back to Diana. "What about you?"

"I, too, have never had to deal with 'that issue'. It's absence was just one more proof that I was physically incapable of reproducing...flesh and stone are not naturally compatible, no matter how 'life-like' the stone may be."

"You'd be surprised what I'm capable of accomplishing," Washu replied, emerald eyes twinkling. "Now, I don't want to raise your hopes only to dash them later, and I would have to do some in-depth scans before making any definitive judgments (after all, Masu hybrids present their own unique challenges). However, such complications are not insurmountable. Besides, since you were designed to be 'perfect', it's safe to assume that full reproductive capabilities were included."

Diana's face mirrored Ryoko's, which only served to widen Washu's grin. She opened another dimensional portal and extracted two small devices, which she pushed across the table towards Diana and Ryoko.

"What is this?" Diana asked.

"It's a transdimensional communicator. If and when you ever want children, Diana, activate the box and give me a call. My instruments will record the message and forward it on to me. We can schedule an examination then."

Diana hesitated. "It may be many years in the future, Professor..."

"No problem, I'll be around." With that, Washu rose from her seat.

"Why did you give me one of these things?" Ryoko asked.

"I figured you two might want to chat once in a while. Compare notes, and such."

"What would we have to talk about?"

"Isn't it obvious? You ladies have a great deal in common; though formidable in your own right, you both draw your powers from outside sources. You are connected to the outside world in ways that no one else but each other can appreciate. You two are almost sisters, both in form and function." She gave each of them a smile and wandered off.

"How utterly marvelous!" Ayeka mused. "I have a sister who was assimilated by a deity, and now you have a sister who was created by a deity. Fate works in mysterious ways...."

Diana and Ryoko both stared at Ayeka for a moment, considered each other, and simultaneously raised their cups in salute.

Lois, Washu, Noike, and Sasami sat around a patio table, one of many that filled the central plaza of the cavernous botanical center.

"So many worlds..." Lois said, indicating the variety of climates represented. "Maybe I should get a souvenir, just to prove I was here."

"You know," Washu replied, "there is a gift we could offer you, an un-Earthly gift that you won't find here."

"What might that be?"

"It seems to us that your greatest curse is time; too little time with your husband day-to-day, too little time before you meet your maker."

"Well, I can't argue with either observation."

"While we can't help you with the first problem, we can do something about the second."

"Life extension?"

"You sound dubious."

"I'm a reporter; I'm skeptical of everything without proof and confirmation."

"I'm 20,000 years old -- how much proof do you need?"

"Assuming you're telling the truth, just what are suggesting? Immortality?"

"No, even our technology can't provide that. We can slow the aging process to a crawl, strengthen the body's immune and repair systems, increase your natural physical strength by several factors...but we can't prevent accidents. Death will take us all, Lois, on every world in every universe."

"You don't seem very enthusiastic about the offer," Noike observed.

"Every gift has it's price, which someone must pay. You don't see it, because it is common in your world. In my world, it will be a curse: I would bury everyone I ever loved."

"Except Clark," Sasami said. "You said yourself that he will live for thousands of years. You could share the centuries with him."

"Clark's long life is part of who he is."

"Nonsense," Washu spat, "his long life is a result of Kryptonian science."

Lois shrugged. "I'll consider your offer."

"I don't understand, Lois," Sasami said. "What's to consider?"

Lois studied her companions for a moment, before finally asking, "Have you learned ladies ever read any of J.R.R. Tolkien's works?"

Noike and Sasami shook their heads. "I've seen the name on the Internet," Washu replied. "What's his claim to fame?"

"He wrote stories about elves and men."

"What are elves?"

"Fairy folk, blessed by the creator with long, ageless lives, magical science, and a communion with nature (especially trees and forests)."

"Sounds familiar," Washu said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"What about men?" Noike asked.

"An Iron Age culture, embroiled in conflicts with each other and nature."

"Depressingly familiar," Washu amended her earlier statement.

"An elf will live for millennia, until terminated by disease or violence, and will then be reincarnated almost immediately in an infant elven body. Thus, the elves are ordained to remain within 'the circles of the world', forever chained to the Earth. Men are mortal, and eventually succumb to old age, sickness, or injury. And when their bodies fail, their souls depart the 'circles of the world' to an uncertain fate. Though the process of dying involves a common pain and separation from loved ones, elves and men view death differently. To the elves, human mortality is a gift; to men, elven immortality is a gift. Curiously, each race yearns for the other's fate: most elves envy human mortality, and most men envy elven immortality."

"Why?" Sasami asked.

"Men fear the unknown, whether their soul spends eternity in a predetermined state, or is simply extinguished. The elves fear the monotony of experiencing the same tasks and trials in unending repetition. Which is the worst fate?"

"Where are you going with this?" Washu asked.

"One of Tolkien's characters is a half-breed princess, Arwen, born of an elven mother and a human father. The mixture was a rare one, and upon her ascendancy she was required to choose her fate: would she live the immortal life of the elves, or accept the mortal life of men? Put yourself in her place: as an elf, she had to decide between an eternity of endless existence, or face the great unknown."

"There has to be more."

"There was: complicating Arwen's choice is a mortal prince, Aragorn, whom she had fallen madly in love with. He loved her just as deeply, but was grieved terribly by the choice she must make (he would have her live forever, and not face the fate of mortal men).

"So, what did she do?" Sasami asked.

"In the end, Arwen chose a mortal life, and accepted the price she had to pay."

"Why?" Noike asked.

"Because Arwen preferred a brief life filled with love to an unending life without that love. Had she chosen elvish immortality instead, as her mother had chosen, she would have only memories to comfort her across the eons of time. Arwen didn't choose mortality simply to break the elven cycle; she chose life with Aragorn for its own sake."

"May I assume you're making a deliberate analogy here?" Washu asked.

"Yes."

"Well, in the first place, you and Clark could live similar lifespans, so neither of you would have to live long without the other."

"That's an assumption as well. Clark is a hero, who puts his life on the line every day. He has been at death's door on more than one occasion, and there are plenty of people who would like to push him across that threshold forever. Right now, it looks like Clark will live the longest -- but it could just as easily go the other way. And I do NOT want to face life without him. Not ever again."

"Yet, wouldn't you be condemning him to that very same fate?" Noike asked. "If he knew you had the chance to live for centuries..."

"It is not his decision to make." She looked at the thoughtful faces around her. "Tell me, who decides how long Tenchi will live? You have the technology to extend his life, but who's decision is it to actually apply the technology?"

"That's a totally different situation."

"Is it? Someone told me recently that nothing lasts forever, and that memories will have to suffice after the death of their loved one. Someone else told me that personal duty outweighs all other factors, including personal preferences. And someone else told me of the importance of living in the moment, rather than living in the past. I would rather accept whatever destiny waits for me, and enjoy the love of my husband for as long as I can."

"Very well," Washu said. "But I also know how circumstances can change attitudes, sometimes drastically so." She opened a portal beside her and withdrew a small metal object, which she offered to Lois.

"What is that?"

"It's a transdimensional communicator. Here, it won't bite you."

Lois accepted the gift and examined it carefully. "Why would you give me this?"

"Just in case you ever change your mind, and you decide that a few more centuries with Clark would be worth whatever price you'd have to pay."

"Tell me, Clark, what do you believe in?" Tenchi-kami asked.

Clark studied his host beneath one raised eyebrow. "Why would you be interested in that?"

"What drove you into the 'superhero business'? A man's actions are usually based upon his beliefs."

Clark shrugged. "I believe in the soul; I believe in an afterlife; I believe that it is required of us all to live to the highest ethical standards in this life, or face the consequences in the next." Clark looked at Tenchi-kami, into his eyes. "Talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words; I try to better myself and anyone who will listen, to help whenever and wherever possible...it's the road less traveled, because it's hard and lonely -- but ultimately, it's more rewarding. What about you?"

"I believe in Fate," Tenchi-kami replied, "although I do appreciate your efforts to take the 'road less traveled'. I believe that the universe is deterministic, that everything has a cause, and that things can thus be predicted if you have all the information. Fate is a very real thing, which has a very strong influence upon everything we do. Among my Japanese and Juraian ancestors, the three core elements of Fate are Destiny, Life, and Purpose."

"Hmm....three principles, three Chôshin. Coincidence?"

"There are no coincidences, Clark."

"Destiny, Life, and Purpose...." Clark ruminated, chin upon his chest. Finally: "Among the most ancient and widespread Earth legends is that of the triple goddesses, the Three Sisters of Fate: Past, Present, and Future. Their task was to visit each newborn child, and issue him or her a thread from the fabric of reality -- because each sister held an aspect of reality in her hands, so each goddess took her turn manipulating that thread. Every mortal's Destiny is established from the beginning of life, from the past. Life is, of course, the present, the here-and-now. Purpose lays in the future, and working towards a goal."

Tenchi paused, turning to study the three figures towering behind them.

Clark's eyes followed. He pointed at Tsunami-kami-sama. "Klotho, Nona, Laima, Urd...each name meant 'Spinner' in its native tongue, for it was she who spun the thread of life upon her spindle. You protected the Imperial Family of Jurai against the vagaries of causality, because it would eventually lead up to Tenchi."

Tsunami-kami-sama smiled, eyes twinkling.

Clark pointed at Washu-kami-sama. "Lakhesis, Decuma, Karta, Verdandi...each name meant 'Apportioner of Lots' in its native tongue, for it was she who measured the thread of life against her rod. Choosing to assume the form of a human infant, you lived a mortal life, experiencing all of its joys and sorrows. You focused on the present, rather than dwell upon the past or worry about the future."

Washu-kami-sama grinned, eyebrows dancing.

Clark pointed at Tokimi-kami-sama. "Atropos, Morta, Dekla, Skuld...each name meant 'She who cannot be turned' in its native tongue, for it was she who cut the thread of life with her shears. Of you Chôshin, you are the one that worked hardest and stayed the course, who chose to remain behind rather than enter Tenchi's universe. Your actions and focus were on the future, not the past or present."

Tokimi-kami-sama canted her head, one eybrow arcing slightly.

"In Japanese Shinto, Destiny is represented by a mirror, Life is represented by a round jewel, and Purpose is represented by a sword," Tenchi-kami said. "Mirror, jewel and sword...spindle, rod and shears...interesting comparison."

"Isn't it."

"Well done, Clark. Very astute."

"Now let me ask you a question: Why do you care what happens to us mortals? Seems like a lot of effort just to 'stick your finger in the water'. Since you live outside of time and space, why not just jump into the future, after Tenchi was born?"

"Because we had no idea of where or when -- or even IF -- he would appear," Tsunami-kami-sama replied. "I sensed the nascent stirrings of anomalous activity within the first Emperor of Jurai, but I miscalculated the incubation period; I expected the process to take at least one million years, when in fact his anomaly appeared in about 150,000 years. Had we simply remained dormant during that 850,000 year period, rather than actively participating in events, we would have missed the manifestation completely. There is also the distinct possibility that there might have been *multiple* manifestations throughout the Multiverse, and we would have missed them all."

"And I miscalculated the consequences of acquiring fully-sapient avatars: I expected information, but I did not anticipate emotion," Washu-kami-sama added. "Tsunami and I crafted our first avatars as humanoid giants, with the express purpose of cowing the locals into compliance. Needless to say, the results were rather unimpressive."

"That form was unstable, slow, lethargic, always trying to sink roots and grow like a tree," Tsunami-kami-sama interjected. "So I granted my avatar independence, and it has since become the Tenju, the progenitor of a line of giant trees."

"You always did have an affinity for trees," Washu-kami-sama grinned. To Clark: "Which explains her second avatar: Ouke-no-ki, the 'Genesis Tree', a life form she transported from another universe and assimilated with. That Royal Tree was fully able to replicate itself and interact with its offspring -- and the humans that they all partnered with. She was content to study human emotions from a second-hand perspective...until the moment she assimilated with her third avatar: a human child. That's when her true education began, because as Sasami started to experience the multidimensional attributes of a kami, the kami started to experience humanity from a child's perspective. My second avatar was a mortal infant, assimilated from an orphanage on the backwater planet Kanemitsu. I spent the next 20,000 years learning what it means to be human, to fall in love and marry, to have a child, to lose them both, and all of the complicated ways that humans interact with one another."

"Though I was born an avatar," Tenchi-kami concluded, "my multidimensional linkage was sealed from the beginning. Until recent events, I had no clue about my higher nature. I've been fully human from the day of my birth, which has allowed my mortal form to grow and develop naturally."

Clark noticed Tokimi-kami-sama's silence, and turned to her. "What about you?"

"I have little experience with mortals," she answered. "I watched my servant Z wrestling with the trauma and guilt that he perceived were the consequences of his manifestation. He grieved terribly, and his anguish was directed at me any my sisters. I tolerated it out of curiosity; I wondered, is this what motivates mortals? However, once I had witnessed the changes to my sisters, the...appreciation of the Multiverse and its infinite variety...then, perhaps, it is about time that I experience similar changes."

Clark nodded, considering. To Tenchi-kami: "Why tell *me* all this?"

"Because we no longer dwell in hyperdimensional isolation," he replied. "Our perspectives, and concerns, have now been expanded. Because we now know of laughter and anguish, of love and hate, of the trials and triumphs of the lower orders. These concepts could never be learned in the higher realms."

"Sasami's will is my will, and my will is her's," Tsunami-kami-sama added. "The concerns of her life, her loves..." she gently squeezed the hand she was holding, "...are now mine as well."

Clark studied them all, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he just shook his head. "I'll be damned: full of book smarts but shy on street smarts."

"Excuse me?" Tenchi-kami replied.

"I find it ironic (if not downright funny) that you creatures are omnipotent and omniscient, yet don't know a damn thing about how reality really works. Especially among humans."

"You are correct, Clark. But even kami must live within the rules, generally of their own making...much like you."

"Excuse me?" Clark replied.

"You are much like us: you lead a life bound in rules of your own making. You have the power to take what you want, destroy what opposes you, and rule unconditionally...yet, you choose not to. You yield to the authority of others, risk your own life to protect the lives of friend and foe alike, all the while knowing you can never truly be one of them."

"That takes courage and strength," Tsunami-kami-sama said, "and those qualities alone are worth preserving, as well as the other, nobler, aspects of humanity. We would see those qualities endure. We would ask you take heart, to shoulder again the burdens you have borne, and to carry on. Your life has been an inspiration to countless others, marked with service and sacrifice. And now it inspires us."

"Why do you think you have been included in the library here?" Washu-kami-sama asked, gesturing. "A single universe contains 'way too many sapients to record and monitor, let alone the entire Multiverse. Only those life forms with far-reaching influences deserve such attention -- like *you*."

"There is one last fact to consider," Tokimi-kami-sama added, her expression actually softening, as did the timbre of her voice. "You remain connected to all those replicants across the Multiverse. You were brought here because you are the root, the seed from which all others sprung. Your despair will slowly spread like a cancer across the universes, affecting each paladin, and causing them to question their own quest. Think carefully before you deny your Fate."

"We encourage you, Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton, not to yield to discouragement or disillusionment," Tenchi-kami concluded. "One man *can* make a difference. There is, and always will be, a job for Superman."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Title: "Wonder"  
Music and Lyrics: Natalie Merchant (with slight modifications by the author)

Doctors have come from distant cities just to see me Stand over my bed, disbelieving what they're seeing They say I must be one of the wonders of God's own creation And as far as they see they can offer no explanation

Newspapers ask intimate questions, want confessions Reach into my head to steal the glory, of my story They say I must be one of the wonders of God's own creation And as far as they see they can offer no explanation

Chorus:  
Oooh, I believe, the Fates smiled and Destiny Laughed as she came to my cradle "Know this child will be able"  
And laughed as my body she lifted,  
"Know this child will be gifted, with love, with patience,  
and with faith, he'll make his way, he'll make his way"

People see me, I'm a challenge to your balance,  
I'm over your heads how I confound you, and astound you To know that I must be one of the wonders of God's own creation And as far as you see you can offer me no explanation

Chorus:  
Oooh, I believe, that the Fates smiled and Destiny Laughed as she came to my cradle "Know this child will be able"  
Laughed as she came to my mother "Know this child will not suffer"  
Laughed as my body she lifted,  
"Know this child will be gifted, with love, with patience,  
and with faith, he'll make his way, he'll make his way"

"He'll make his way." Mmmmm, mmmmm

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A U T H O R ' S N O T E S : * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Before this gets any further, I would just like to give a special thanks to True Sheol, for all of his technical assistance with the details and events of the Tenchiverse, for reviewing this story and his subsequent suggestions, and for his patience. I would also like to extend kudos to AstroNerdBoy, oni_shin, Watotsu, JS Morris, MaryRN51, ericchri, Admiral Tigerclaw, and all of the regular contributors at...

The Ayeka Fan Club Message Board (.com/ftheayekafanclubfrm1) Seto's Fan Message Board (.com/bsetosfan)

...for their advise, commentary, and criticisms. I'm kinda dense, so it took multiple passes across the same terrain before I finally got my facts straight. Thanks, folks.

Now, you're probably sitting there wondering, "What the heck prompted *this* story?" Well, four events, actually. The first was was a discussion on The Ayeka Fan Club Message Board about the nature and extent of Tenchi's powers:

.?topicID=&start=1&stop=20 (The topic title is "material conversion" just in case it has already rolled over into the Archives Section.)

You can read the whole exchange for yourself, but I'm afraid I balked at the idea that a nascent god had been born on Earth, and would one day ascend to unimaginable heights. Specifically:

----------Posted by True Sheol:  
Just to add to Jeffery Harris' note concerning episode six, Washuu commented that Tenchi was indeed performing material conversion when he formed his armor, shield, and sword. Kagato then ordered the Souja's crystals to attack. Tenchi threw his sword at the crystals, converting the sword into energy in order to destroy them. Kagato used the blast to screen his attack against the now weaponless Tenchi. However, Tenchi then converted his shield into energy and that energy into another sword to use to attack Kagato. Both combatants struck each other with killing blows. Kagato was unable to regenerate from the damage, but Tenchi was able to. Likely, Tenchi's regeneration is a form of material conversion. If so, he is truly immortal.

----------Posted by Jeffery Harris:  
I am admittedly having problems grasping this interpretation. I am conditioned to think that such massive power capacities would have some kind of overt manifestation ...call it the "comic-book superhero syndrome", for lack of a better term: massively powerful individuals will strut about in spandex and armor, flexing their rippling muscles, flapping their wings, or whatever.

Tenchi seems less like a repository for such power, and more like a conduit or focusing lens....perhaps like a sorcerer, who knows how to tap into the source of the mana, rather than carrying the mana around with him (and being affected by its presence).

Undoubtedly, I will be struggling with this for a while....

----------Posted by True Sheol:  
Considering that Tenchi will apparently master more and more of his power by GXP, it seems that his ability to wield it will continue to grow, not diminish. After all, if this extradimensional/spiritual energy is not keyed to anything physical, then Tenchi's age is irrelevant and only his will or belief is what matters. It was, after all, his belief in himself (however it is phrased) that allowed him to wield his power against Kagato. The competence in which he did so was surreal... like he knew that he could do those things. It wasn't accidental, but purposeful, as if a part of him that he didn't know about had woken up/been unlocked. The scene in the black hole was similarly mysterious. It was akin to watching someone wake up in a dangerous situation and solve it with complete aplomb... as if there was nothing to it. No desperation, just a bit of surprise or wonder.

----------Posted by ericchri:  
My point really is that saying Tenchi is immortal might be going a bit far. He's more/different than human, sure. He's coming into his abilities now, just like many athletes really start finding themselves in their late teens. Eventually something robs everyone of the abilities they had when they were younger, though, Tenchi just might be working on a different time scale.

His power/abilities come from somewhere, and wherever they come from, the "power source" for those abilities would have to be inexhaustible for him to be truly immortal. Let's just say I'm not a believer in such a thing as a completely inexhaustible power supply, even if you start veering into the realm of magic and not science. Eventually, something is going to burn itself up and Tenchi will lose his access to the abilities that make him appear immortal to us from the perspective of living to be maybe 100 if we're lucky. Maybe in Tenchi's case, it'll be millions or even trillions or whatever of years, I don't really care. My perspective is he's not going to be truly immortal in the full sense of the word. He's going to live so long that yes, I'm just quibbling over semantics, but he's not going to live forever.

----------Posted by True Sheol:  
That's the thing. Kajishima clearly stated that there wasn't a limit and if you consider the nature of flawless energy-to-matter/matter-to-energy conversion, then you truly are dealing with limitless power. If you had material conversion ability, then entropy wouldn't be an issue. Considering that Tenchi's power is extradimensional, then even the power of the universe is insignificant in comparison.

Forgetting about Tenchi for a moment, let's talk about what we know about the Chôshin. They were around in Tenchi's dimension for hundreds of millions of years. The power that they wield defies the limits of one dimension...which is simply one of many and administrated by a singular being (D3) that is subservient to them. They are, in Kajishima's words, the greatest goddesses.

Now, keeping that in mind, would a limited dimensional being, even one with powers greater than stars, be of interest for them, to the point that two of the Chôshin would actually go and look for that being? Every single hint by Kajishima seems to point towards a mind-boggling conclusion that Tenchi, somehow, is far greater than a boy that can create LHWs. It isn't the LHWs that is the issue... it's the fact that the power to do so is his own and defies the limitations of his own dimension.

----------Posted by ericchri:  
Let me just say that in this case, I could really care less whether that's what Kajishima said. Cause if you take that to it's conclusion, what you're essentially saying is that Tenchi can do anything. Absolutely anything. Now maybe you think, "hey, that's cool", but personally I find a being that has not a single limitation and can overcome absolutely anything just by deciding to is not terribly interesting.

----------Posted by JS Morris:  
I think Tenchi might be limited because he chooses to be. And let's be honest here, in comparison to his houseguests...he isn't terribly interesting, is he?

----------Posted by True Sheol:  
I would go so far as to say that what makes Tenchi interesting is that he chooses to take the hard way. He chooses to farm carrots without labor-saving devices. He chooses to be as 'normal' (read: boring) as possible. This is a theme that Kajishima seems to embrace with regards to TM!R... he wants to focus on abnormal people trying to live a 'normal' life. Kajishima could have focused on exciting events, such the fights between the girls and the GP operatives, but he didn't. This carries over to his approach to Tenchi.

In the OVA series, we don't constantly see Tenchi using his material conversion power, even in manifesting Ko-oh-yoku. It isn't a major focus. Instead, we see more of Tenchi attempting to cope with the constant chaos around him. So, even if it is revealed that Tenchi is a kami, a higher dimensional being, I don't expect that he will change beyond simply maturing as any person with responsibilities should. It's not about Tenchi overcoming challenges that enemies could place in his path. That's not what the story is about and (to be brutally honest) if that what a viewer wants, then that person is better off watching DragonBall or some other type of over-the-top show.

So, to answer ericchri's concerns, Tenchi's limitless power is not a blessing as far as the protagonist is concerned. Rather, dealing with who and what he is (and the pressures that people put upon as a result), is the real challenge. If he was just a prince or only as powerful as a first generation Royal Tree, then the pressure that he would be under would be limited. There would be a finite impact by his simply existing and therefore fewer hurdles for him to overcome.

Tenchi's real battles are not with enemies with incredible powers. His real battles are personal in nature, dealing with his family, dealing with the girls, and, somehow, stabilizing his life despite his own powers and heritage. In his case, living an exceptional life is not a problem, but it isn't the kind of life that he wants.

Really, let's consider the question: if you were a being with godly powers and people knew it, would it be more difficult for you to live an exciting life or a 'normal', 'boring' life? In which direction does the actual challenge lie?

In my opinion, such a deity generally lacks much in the way of sympathetic traits, since he/she/it is able to alter reality with incredibly broad brush strokes. TM!R is *fiction*, in animated and printed form, after all. So, how does one craft personal tension and compassion for such an "alien" character (pardon the pun)?

While I mulled this discussion over, the second event occurred: OVA 3 episode 6 (aka, episode 19) was released to the Japanese public and was almost immediately posted to the Internet. It was the only topic of discussion on the Message Boards for over a week, and it illustrated quite explicitly that Tenchi is indeed a transdimensional being. Whether I liked it or not. Even worse, he's ultimately more powerful than all of the Chôshin combined!

Damn...

The third event: I found a Superman/Tenchi crossover fic called "The Inhuman Condition" by Mike Smith...

.

Chapter 3 contained the following passage:

He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Well, y'know I just found out about all this stuff myself not too long ago. I'm kind of surprised I've managed to sort it out as well as I have. It's kind of weird to think about, you know?"

"Actually, I can relate," Superman nodded. "Still, one of these days you'll find yourself in a situation where you'll need to know these things. Burying your head uin the sand when the hard truths come along... well, that attitude was what destroyed my own people. I'd hate to see the same thing happen again, all right?"

And Chapter 10 contained this text:

To be honest, the tale of their battle with Kagato had impressed him greatly as well. He could have been any one of them, given a different set of circumstances. It seemed like only yesterday when his Pa drove him home from a football game he'd won single-handedly, and took him out into a fallow field. There, he uncovered a hole in the ground where he'd buried a spaceship -- the spaceship they'd found him in when he landed on Earth.

And he spent some time knowing what he wasn't, but not knowing what he WAS. Until the day he somehow triggered a device on the ship that downloaded information about Krypton into his mind, he had no idea where he came from. And really, up to that point, he could have learned he was anything.

Surprise, you're the crown prince of a distant interstellar empire!

Surprise, you're the product of mingled DNA that was placed in a container and abandoned to the cold expanse of the universe!

Well, that analogy was what actually happened to him.

And Chapter 12 says this:

"You're right." [Tenchi] said softly.

"Hmm? About what?" [Ayeka] asked.

"About there being more to Jurai than power," Tenchi said. He held up his game piece and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. "Ever since all this came down on me, I've been treating it like a fantasy world or a video game. Something you can turn off and put away when you're done. It's not that simple. It's about making hard decisions and trying to choose the right thing, because the stakes are so high you won't get a second chance. The sort of thing Superman was doing when he told me to stay behind. The sort of thing I bet Juraians learn from the beginning. The sort of thing you've been doing the whole time and I haven't even noticed until now." He slowly rose to his feet.

This tale clicked with me, about the possible meeting between a demigod and a nascent deity, both living among humans knowing full well that they will never be one themselves.

Which was followed by the fourth event: I read the graphic novel "Kingdom Come" by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. A plot synopsis: It is ten years after Superman has retired, an act of protest sparked by the deteriorating moral climate of the citizens of Metropolis. Since Superman was the spokesman for a whole generation of metahuman peacekeepers, it is no surprise that most of them followed his example. Unfortunately, nature abhors a vacuum: the gap was filled by the rising tide of a new generation of metahumans. And without the moral compass of Superman and his peers, their successors have proven less than satisfactory: metahumans prey on one another out of sheer boredom, ignoring or abusing the larger human population. The reclusive Man of Steel has lost all ties to humanity: his parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, and his wife, Lois Lane Kent, are all dead; and his few metahuman friends have their own miseries to deal with. Only a catastrophe with global implications can bring Superman out of retirement, and the subsequent reconstruction of the Justice League to deal with the super-powered anarchists -- but at what price? "Kingdom Come" made me realize that I had completely lost touch with the comic books that I had read so faithfully as a kid. I had to do some serious "catching-up" on the Last Son of Krypton.

And out of habit I started keeping a journal, since it keeps me honest/accurate, and also provide a little inspiration on just what I can "tweak" without doing the character(s) any serious harm. (Anyone at all familiar with the Superman mythos, and the DC Pantheon in general, will notice a few cosmetic changes I applied during the above story. Nothing serious, really, and definitely nothing worth starting an argument over. I have long considered that the canon definitions were more than a little inconsistent -- if not down-right silly, such as the Kryptonian "Clone War" epic -- so I substituted my own spin instead. Call it the "Hollywood Disease" for a lack of a better term.) Accordingly, the following excerpts from that journal are just a few of the many Internet references available at the time this story was written, providing the actual canon values. I recommend you read ALL of them; not only are they educational, but there's more than a little entertainment value embedded therein.

Despite all of its worts, the Superman Saga had a profound effect on the way I chose my heroes. Consider the above story my own homage to the Man of Steel, and his relation to a new hero from the other side of the planet. Surprisingly, I found that they have much in common (I've made comparisons and allusions between the two characters in some of my other fanfics, but this was the first outright blending of the two), and tried to elucidate that opinion in something a bit less boring than an essay. You, The Reader, will have to decide if I succeeded.

--------------------------------- M U L T I V E R S E A N D H Y P E R T I M E -------------------------------

MOVIE POOP SHOOT .

Comics 101 By Scott Tipton April 23, 2003

"AND THEN THERE WAS ONE"

In an effort to explain why some of their co-existing characters had been around for decades while others were brand-new, DC Comics editors and writers created the concept of the DC Multiverse, in which it was revealed that the original DC characters from the 1940s lived on a parallel Earth, separated by a different vibrational frequency. This allowed the Justice Society of the 1940s, with a middle-aged Superman, Batman, Flash, etc., to meet up with the then-current and youthful Justice League of the 1960s, by traversing from Earth-Two to Earth-One, or vice versa. This simple and elegant concept was then endlessly muddied up by the introduction of numerous additional parallel Earths, due to either creative whimsy or the need to introduce new groups of characters acquired from other defunct comic-book publishers.

By the 1980s, editorial and fan opinion on the device was split: some felt the multiple Earths were far too confusing and served as an obstacle to the new reader, while others felt the concept unique and lots of fun if handled correctly, and that it encouraged new readers to learn more about DC's universe. By 1985, it was time for someone to break the tie: Enter DC writer/editor Marv Wolfman and DC Comics Publisher Jenette Kahn.

Wein and Wolfman were of the belief that the parallel Earths of the DC Universe were far too complex and confusing to the common reader, and came to DC's Publisher Jenette Kahn with a bold proposal: a 12-issue miniseries (unheard of at the time) that would involve all of DC's characters, past, present and future, in a mammoth, cataclysmic adventure that would result in a single, elegant, consistent DC universe. Much to their surprise, Kahn approved the idea, and set them off to begin the research for what would be the single most ambitious project in DC's publishing history.

With both Wein and Wolfman working full-time as writers/editors, the bulk of the research fell to Peter Sanderson, a comics fan/historian, who over the course of three years or so read every comic National/DC ever produced, taking extensive notes.  
The research took so long that the miniseries was postponed, eventually scheduled for 1985, which just happened to be DC's 50th anniversary. When Wolfman nervously presented his first synopsis of the series to Kahn, he feared he may have been too outrageous, asking for changes that were too radical. To his surprise, Kahn returned the synopsis, asking Wolfman to take another crack at it and be even bolder, to really shake things up. Wolfman delivered.

When Marv Wolfman and George Perez's first issue of CRISIS OF INFINITE EARTHS appeared in April 1985 (with Len Wein serving as Consulting Editor), DC fans were immediately put on notice; things would not be the same after this. Within the first ten pages, Earth-Three and the Crime Syndicate were dead and gone, wiped from existence by an unrelenting wall of anti-matter that was methodically eliminating parallel universe after parallel universe.

Readers were introduced to the Monitor, a mysterious benefactor who plucked select heroes and villains from various Earths and time periods in an effort to halt the ever-encroaching void.

By the series' halfway point, all the parallel universes and their corresponding Earths had been destroyed except five:

Earth-One, the home of the Justice League

Earth-Two, birthplace of the Justice Society

Earth-X, residence of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters (former Quality comics characters)

Earth-S, home of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family (previously published by Fawcett Comics)

Earth-4, home to Blue Beetle, Captain Atom and the other characters purchased from Charlton Comics

These five had been saved from destruction thanks to the mortal sacrifice of the Monitor, who allowed his own murder so that the energies released by his death could create a "safe zone" in which the universes could reside.

In keeping with the series' theme of duplicates and parallels, the mastermind behind the destruction of countless parallel universes was revealed to be the Anti-Monitor, the Monitor's evil counterpart bent on destroying all life and expanding his own anti-matter universe. It's not easy to create a new villain and invest him with enough menace and malice to have readers really buy into him as the worst villain in all creation. Wolfman and Perez pulled it off though, and in several startling ways.

So after that, the DC universe was neat and orderly, and everything worked great, right?

Well, you'd think so, but in reality…not so much.

The idea was supposed to be that, post-Crisis, the DC Universe would be a simpler place, since every character now indisputably lived in the same universe. Instead, for some reason, the various DC editors, for reasons that to this day elude me, interpreted the reborn DC Universe as "whatever I say goes," and the continuity suffered more than it ever did with multiple Earths. Let's take a look at how: Not long after CRISIS, Superman's entire history was re-conceived by John Byrne in the MAN OF STEEL miniseries. Among the arbitrary decisions made: Clark Kent's adoptive parents never died. Okay, fine. No harm done. Superman was now the only native of Krypton to survive its destruction, meaning not only was Supergirl dead, but according to new post-Crisis continuity, she'd never existed. Say goodbye to Krypto the Superdog as well. Luthor was now a billionaire mogul instead of an evil genius. And it was decreed that Clark Kent had never been Superboy, meaning that the Legion of Superheroes, a futuristic team of teenage super-types whose entire origin was based on Superboy, would be plunged into a nightmare of rewrite after rewrite from which the series to this day has never recovered.

And if you thought those were extreme, check out Wonder Woman. It was decided that Wonder Woman had never existed until the first issue of her new series, which meant that any comic book you ever read that had Wonder Woman in it never really happened. Charming. Also, Wonder Woman's secret identity of Diana Prince was summarily abandoned.

So was it all worth it?

Hard to say. In terms of what it was supposed to achieve, it's a tough call. While things seemed easier to understand without multiple Earths, the piecemeal plugging of the holes in continuity went on for years, and continues to this day.

*************************

TIME AND HYPERTIME .

While human cultures and sciences have advanced many theories on the nature of time over the centuries, the immortals have believed for eons in a simple timestream: time has a beginning and an end, flows at a constant rate, and any displacement produces changes downstream. Those few mortals who were able to breach the time barrier - Rip Hunter, Barry Allen, the original Chronos - even visitors from the future, like Professor Zoom and Abra Kadabra - subscribed to this same view of time. You could change the future by staying in your own time, or you could change the present by traveling to the past.

In the early 21st Century, time travel researcher Matthew Ryder managed to transport his laboratory to a point outside the normal time-stream, which he called Vanishing Point. From there he began studying the space-time continuum. He made contact with other time travelers, including Rip Hunter and eventually Waverider, a Matthew Ryder from a divergent timeline. Waverider's continued existence after the erasure of his own past should have been a clue to what would later come to light, but at the time it was assumed that Waverider's merging with the timestream had protected him. Calling themselves the Linear Men, this small band of time travelers decided to police the timestream so as to prevent widespread interference by one era in another.

In their investigations, the Linear Men discovered records of a cataclysmic event so great that space-time completely reoriented itself. The universe, formed as one, had been split into many parallel universes, each distinct, occupying the same space and time but with their atoms and subatomic particles vibrating out of phase with each other. Large-scale objects, like planets and stars, tended to coexist. For instance, each vibratory plane contained an Earth, but history varied from plane to plane.

*************************

The UNOFFICIAL HYPERTIME WEBSITE The Original Hypertime Theory /hypertime

II. Terms.

Linear Men:  
A time-patrolling police force responsible for maintaining the rigid continuity of the mainstream DCU timeline. Hypertime is a concept foreign to most of them, although one of their number (Hunter) is the being who revealed Hypertime to Superman and other heroes.

Multiverse:  
1). In normal usage, the sum total of ALL universes in ALL timelines. 2) In DCU terminology, the sum total of ALL universes within a particular timeline. (This is derived from Mark Waid's comments, "The Crisis destroyed all the Multiverses we knew of." Hence, the idea of a multiverse of Multiverses which I believe is inherent in Hypertime.)

IV. How is Hypertime Different From the Pre-Crisis Multiverse?

1. Different Starting Points

With the pre-Crisis Multiverse, the infinite universes had one common beginning. That beginning was "10 billion years ago" (Harbinger -- Crisis # 7) when an Oan scientist pierced the veil of Time's beginnings in order to see the origin of the universe. His experiments caused the single universe to replicate itself an infinte number of times, so that "What was one became many" (Harbinger -- Crisis # 7).

Now, there could be an infinite number of timelines out there that we can access through Hypertime, so in terms of sheer number, it's similar to the Multiverse. But in the Multiverse, every universe had one common starting point. With Hypertime, each timeline (or, universe, if you want to call it that) has a UNIQUE starting point, that being whenever a different decision or action occurred than the one in the "one, true timeline."

2. Different Relationships Between Universes/Timelines

After their creation, the Multiverse's infinite universes no longer had any intimate connection. What happened in one universe didn't directly affect another, unless one character from one crossed into the other and did something of great import. But the timelines of the infinite universes NEVER intermingled (at least not up until the Crisis, which wiped them all out by merging them into one single universe again). Even the act of creating the Multiverse had nothing to do with any particular universe, since the creation was the result of an outside force (Oa apparently was the only world with no doppleganger [Crisis # 7 again], and existed in the single universe before the Multiverse's creation. It got shifted to the universe containing Earth-1 during the Multiverse's creation. Since the Multiverse was created because of the experiments of an Oan scientist before the replication, it can be said that its creation was due to a force outside the Multiverse itself).

This is vastly different from the infinite timelines contained within Hypertime. First of all, each timeline's creation DEPENDS on something that happens (or doesn't happen) within its "parent" timeline. I've gone over this above, in the section on different starting points. Secondly, events in one Hypertimeline can intimately affect events in another, in a DIRECT way. They don't have to, but they can. Remember, in the Multiverse, the only way for any DIRECT effects to happen was if one character PHYSICALLY left his universe and went to another, and did something of great importance while he was there. With Hypertime, it's not CHARACTERS who are PHYSICALLY crossing over; it's the ENTIRE TIMELINE which crosses over. (This is not to say that a character from one timeline COULDN'T cross over into another, in a way that's very similar to the dimensional-hopping of the Multiverse. BUT, in Hypertime, entire timelines DO intermingle and change one another in DIRECT ways, and this NEVER happened with the Multiverse. Actually, the Multiverse's universes DID intermingle, but it was called a Crisis and it PHYSICALLY wiped out an infinite number of universes. When two Hypertimelines merge, yeah, things change, things are affected, but life still goes on and no one even realizes what's happening.)

Now that we've established the differences between the Multiverse and Hypertime, we can see that Hypertime is much more dynamic and interactive than the Multiverse ever was. It's time to examine the ramifications of Hypertime and what it means for the future of the DC Universe.

Some have said that Hypertime is a smaller version of the Multiverse. But the opposite is true. We can assume that Hypertime has always existed, even before the Crisis, and that the ENTIRE Multiverse occurred in just ONE DCU Hypertimeline. There could have been other Hypertimelines where the single universe NEVER split, 10 billion years ago. So, the Multiverse can be made to fit within Hypertime, not the other way around.

------------------------------------ T H E K R Y P T O N I A N S I N G U L A R I T Y ----------------------------------

THE SINGULARITY IN THE ORION'S ARM SETTING .

Central to the Orion's Arm setting is the concept of a technological-toposophic singularity, which basically refers to the opportunity for sentient beings to ascend or transcend from their ordinary state of existence to a higher, vastly superhuman state that is incomprehensible to beings of lower or sub-singularity levels.

And what does this mean you ask....?

The idea of ascent in this context grew out of the ideas of the mathematician/writer Vernor Vinge who put forward the idea of the Singularity. What Vinge pointed out was that the rate of technological progress (the time it took for computer speed to double, the time it took for the totality of human knowledge to double etc.) was itself speeding up.

Projecting forward he argued that eventually we reach a point where the rate of change in technology and consequently in society as a whole become so fast that the curve goes straight up and the current models used to predict future progress no longer make any sense.

The Singularity is thus the point at which the rate of technological progress becomes exponential, and beyond the comprehension of human beings.

*************************

TOPOSOPHY .

Toposophy deals with the theoretical problems and possibilities of attempts to extend and amplify one's mental potential. While technically speaking it applies to all mental growth, it is mainly used to denote the science of major mental paradigm shifts.

Most mental enhancement is incremental, involving merely adding on new capabilities and integrating them with the already existing framework.

Typical cyborgisation procedures as memory enhancement, skill libraries, coprocessors, extended neural networks and pidgin lobes fall in this category. While such additions may cause mental shifts and re-evaluations of identity, they merely extend the basic architecture of the underlying mind.

This kind of bootstrapping can be self-supporting, each improvement making it easier to add new improvements, producing an accelerating mental expansion, a singularity.

*************************

THEORIES CONCERNING ARCHAILECTS: BIOTIC ANALOGIES .com/sophontology/Biotic_Analogy_

Biotic analogies are another tool in the struggle by SI:1 intelligences to understand the higher toposophic levels. These are not actually a single theory but are a cluster of related memes, some of them dating back to speculations in the late Information Age. Their common basis is that they use biological and ecological analogies to understand the nature of trans-sapients and their relationship to lower life forms.

Those who follow this line of thought usually begin by recognizing certain several pre-toposophic "singularities". The most commonly recognized divisions are:

1. complex chemicals (enzymes)  
2. self-replication (viruses & some prebiotic self-replicating chemicals) 3. reproduction & homeostasis (prokaryotic cells) 4. complex reproduction, symbiosis, sexes (single eukaryotic cells) 5. multicellular coordination (plants, sponges, fungi) 6. nervous system (jellyfish, insects, worms) 7. consciousness (cephalopods, vertebrates) 8. sapience (baseline humans; highly intelligent animals such as baseline cetaceans, parrots, apes, monkeys, and corvids are considered to be just below the lower border of this level)

*************************

SINGULARITIES AND TOPOSOPHICAL ZONES .

Toposophical Zones:  
As powers breach singularity levels and attain further states of ascension, that become more and more godlike, at least relative to those sentients beneath them. But for every power that makes ascension to AI-godhood (or simply just godhood), there are a thousand that recycle, attain moksha, or transcend to some obscure or esoteric physical or nonphysical state. And for every one of them, there are a thousand that don't make it at all; that simply remain at their original evolutionary state.

*************************

ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA .#ascension

ascension:  
[1] (verb) to ascend; transition from sapience to posthuman or transapient existence. Becoming a transapient. Breaching a singularity barrier. Rising a toposophic level.

[2] (noun) location of a famous ascension or transcension - e.g. Smith Ascension

-------------------------------- M I S C E L L A N E O U S -----------------------------------------

The canon history of Krypton is ok, in and of itself, although it strikes me as very anthropomorphic -- I would expect aliens to have very unfamiliar and exotic (i.e., "alien") motivations. But, maybe such a tack would be too difficult for the average comic book reader to comprehend or relate to. At any rate, here is the official backstory on Kal-El's homeworld:

MODERN KRYPTON From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  
.org/wiki/Krypton_%28planet%29

Much of the history of Krypton was rewritten beginning with The Man of Steel miniseries in 1986 by John Byrne, following the Crisis on Infinite Earths-driven re-writing of the DC Universe generally. The rebooted history of Krypton is summarized as follows:

Krypton was approximately the size of Earth though it orbited a red sun which may be a red giant star. Located fifty light-years from Earth, Krypton maintained an isolationist stance forbidding interstellar travel until its destruction.

Over 100,000 years ago Krypton had already developed scientific advancements far beyond that of present-day Earth. Kryptonians had conquered disease, learned to retard the aging process and perfected cloning, making their population virtually immortal. They kept vast banks of non-sentient clones of themselves to replace body parts in the case of injury or accidents. A political movement demanding rights for the clones kept in these organ banks broke out into full scale hostility known as the Clone Wars. A terrorist faction known as Black Zero caused the reigning Kryptonian government considerable strife and as a result of the devastating war the clone banks were abolished and Kryptonians turned to other means of prolonging life.

In direct contrast to the idyllic and sensual society that had existed prior to the Clone Wars a sterile and spiritually dead civilization emerged. The population became isolated from one another with personal contact shunned. Procreation became a matter of selecting compatible genetic material which would then be placed within a birthing matrix. Interstellar travel was forbidden as was any attempt to contact other worlds. It was into this world that the young scientist Jor-El was born. He discovered that the planet's core was unstable, transforming into a dangerously radioactive substance which is known as K-radiation. This is the radiation that Kryptonite emits. Due to this transformation the planet itself was going to explode.

It has also been established in the comics that Krypton still exists as a gaseous planet similar to Saturn, formed when the remaining material, which was still of a mass sufficient to create gravity, thus aggregating a "planet" in part.

*************************

SUPERMAN'S PERSONAL STATISTICS

I find the notion that Kryptonians looked exactly like Terrans to be rather ludicrous, even for a comic book -- it stretches the concept of convergent evolution to extremes. What is more likely, to my mind, is that Earth (the younger society) possessed some type of colonial affiliation with Krypton (the older society). Add to that the fruits of millennia of gengineering, bionics, and bionanotech, it is far easier to accept the idea that an E.T. with common roots could be *adapted* to be a functional Homo sapiens, rather than *evolving* to look exactly like a Homo sapiens (kinda like disguising a Percheron to resemble a Shetland Pony). I tend to believe that a big-boned, heavily-muscled humanoid could be transformed into a big-boned, heavily-muscled human, with the most accurate rendition being provided by comic book artist Alex Ross (.com). His interpretation of Superman resembles a professional wrestler, or a lumberjack, or an Olympic-class weightlifter -- someone with a physique similar to one of the most successful bodybuilders in recent history (and globally-recognized video/movie star), Arnold Schwarzenegger:

NABBA UNIVERSE Statistics of those competing in the Professional and Amateur Contests:

1967 Amateur Class Three  
Age: 20 Height:6-2  
Weight: 245 lbs (260 lbs off-season).  
Neck: 18  
Waist: 32  
Thigh: 27  
Calf: 18½  
Upper Arm Flexed: 20½  
Chest Expanded: 56½

**************************************************

SUPERMAN'S HAREM

* Lana Lang  
* Lois Lane Kent  
* Lori Lameris  
* Simone DeNeige  
* Supergirl  
* Wonder Woman

Sound a bit far-fetched? See:

THE BABES OF SUPERMAN .com/~

MIKEL MIDNIGHT'S GOLDEN AGE DIRECTORY A Selection from 196,833 Timelines, Profiles and Reviews ./time_

Various "imaginary" issues, where Superman marries one *or all* of his girlfriends!! (Hint: Do a page search of the word "married" for the whole list.)

THE MANY OTHER WOMEN OF...CLARK KENT .

The only other serious potential love interest for Superman in the comics has been another superhero, his fellow Justice League member, Wonder Woman. Ever since Superman planted a super kiss on Wonder Woman in Action Comics #600 (hey, he and Lois weren't together yet!), there has always been more than a hint of attraction between the two. Though these days they keep things on a purely professional level, many comic book "Elseworlds" tales (stories that take place in alternate worlds or in possible futures) often find Superman and Wonder Woman ending up together. Mark Waid and Alex Ross's "Kingdom Come" and Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" both find Superman and Wonder Woman having a child together, long after Lois Lane has passed away. In Action Comics #761, Superman and Wonder Woman fight a war together in Valhalla that, to them, lasts a thousand years, though only a short time is passing on Earth. During this time, Wonder Woman offers to help take care of Superman's...er...physical needs...but he turns her down, knowing Lois will be waiting for him when he gets back. Now that's true love.

TENCHI'S HAREM (for comparison purposes):

* Hakubi Ryoko (.com/tenchi_)  
* Hakubi Washu (.com/tenchi_)  
* Kamaki Noike Jurai (.com/tenchi_)  
* Kuramitsu Mihoshi (.com/tenchi_)  
* Masaki Ayeka Jurai (.com/tenchi_)  
* Masaki Sasami Jurai (.com/tenchi_)

Just a quick comparison of the principals' heights:

Clark Kent: 6'2" Tenchi: 5'3"

Lana Lang: 5'4" Hakubi Ryoko: 5'4"  
Lois Lane Kent: 5'6" Hakubi Washu: 4'4"/5'4"  
Lori Lemaris: 5'9" Kamaki Noike Jurai: N/A Simone DeNeige: N/A Kuramitsu Mihoshi: 5'6"  
Supergirl: 5'7" Masaki Ayeka Jurai: 5'3"  
Wonder Woman: 5'11" Masaki Sasami Jurai: 4'0"

*************************

THE CONS OF SUPERPOWERS

Sometimes being a demigod has some serious disadvantages. Obviously, the topic has been considered before:

FROM THE TEXT:  
"Sex," Linda muttered from the table, and blushed from all the looks she received.

MAN OF STEEL, WOMAN OF KLEENEX Reprinted from "All the Myriad Ways" © 1971 by Larry Niven.

---- I ----

What turns on a Kryptonian?

Superman is an alien, an extraterrestrial. His humanoid frame is doubtless the result of parallel evolution, as the marsupials of Australia resemble their mammalian counterparts. A specific niche in the ecology calls for a certain shape, a certain size, certain capabilities, certain eating habits.

Be not deceived by appearances. Superman is no relative to homo sapiens.

What arouses Kal-El's mating urge? Did Kryptonian women carry some subtle mating cue at appropriate times of the year? Whatever it is, Lois Lane probably didn't have it. We may speculate that she smells wrong, less like a Kryptonian woman than like a terrestrial monkey. A mating between Superman and Lois Lane would feel like sodomy -- and would be, of course, by church and common law.

---- II ----

Assume a mating between Superman and a human woman designated LL for convenience.

Either Superman has gone completely schizo and believes himself to be Clark Kent; or he knows what he's doing, but no longer gives a damn. Thirty-one years is a long time. For Superman it has been even longer. He has X-ray vision; he knows just what he's missing.

The problem is this. Electroencephalograms taken of men and women during sexual intercourse show that orgasm resembles "a kind of pleasurable epileptic attack." One loses control over one's muscles.

Superman has been known to leave his fingerprints in steel and in hardened concrete, accidentally. What would he do to the woman in his arms during what amounts to an epileptic fit?

---- III ----

Consider the driving urge between a man and a woman, the monomaniacal urge to achieve greater and greater penetration. Remember also that we are dealing with Kryptonian muscles.

Superman would literally crush LL's body in his arms, while simultaneously ripping her open from crotch to sternum, gutting her like a trout.

---- IV ----

Lastly, he'd blow off the top of her head.

Ejaculation of semen is entirely involuntary in the human male, and in all other forms of terrestrial life. It would be unreasonable to assume otherwise for a Kryptonian. But with Kryptonian muscles behind it, Kal-El's semen would emerge with the muzzle velocity of a machine gun bullet. In view of the foregoing, normal sex is impossible between LL and Superman.

*************************

KRYPTONITE

FROM THE TEXT:  
Clark nodded. "Just look at how much kryptonite is available on Earth right now. Someone once theorized that Krypton would have had to be a cooling black dwarf star to explain the sheer volume of material laying around."

Original reference:

MAN OF STEEL, WOMAN OF KLEENEX Reprinted from "All the Myriad Ways" © 1971 by Larry Niven.

"For our purposes, all forms of kryptonite are available in unlimited quantities. It has been estimated, from the startling tonnage of kryptonite fallen to Earth since the explosion of Krypton, that the planet must have outweighed our entire solar system. Doubtless the 'planet' Krypton was a cooling black dwarf star, one of a binary pair, the other being a red giant."

*************************

AN OBSCURE REFERENCE

FROM THE TEXT:  
"The idea is quite simple, actually...even you Terrans have hit on it already."

Washu is referring to the Dyson Tree, first postulated by physicist Freeman Dyson. For specifics, see:

-------------------------------

IMPEARLS .com/2002_11_10_impearls_#84392045

"The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" by Freeman J. Dyson Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey IV. Big Trees

I have spoken about the two first steps of biological engineering. The first will transform our industry and the second will transform our earth-bound ecology. It is now time to speak of the third step, which is the colonization of space. I believe in fact that biological engineering is the essential tool which will make Bernal's dream of the expansion of mankind in space a practical possibility.

First I have to clear away a few popular misconceptions about space as a habitat. It is generally considered that planets are important. Except for Earth, they are not. Mars is waterless, and the others are for various reasons basically inhospitable to man. It is generally considered that beyond the sun's family of planets there is absolute emptiness extending for light years until you come to another star. In fact it is likely that space around the solar system is populated by huge numbers of comets, small worlds a few miles in diameter, rich in water and the other chemicals essential to life. We see one of these comets only when it happens to suffer a random perturbation of its orbit which sends it plunging close to the sun. It seems that roughly one comet per year is captured into the region near the sun, where it eventually evaporates and disintegrates. If we assume that the supply of distant comets is sufficient to sustain this process over the thousands of millions of years that the solar system has existed, then the total population of comets loosely attached to the sun must be numbered in the thousands of millions. The combined surface area of these comets is then a thousand or ten thousand times that of Earth. I conclude from these facts that comets, not planets, are the major potential habitat of life in space. If it were true that other stars have as many comets as the sun, it then would follow that comets pervade our entire Galaxy. We have no evidence either supporting or contradicting this hypothesis. If true, it implies that our Galaxy is a much friendlier place for interstellar travelers than it is popularly supposed to be. The average distance between habitable oases in the desert of space is not measured in light years, but is of the order of a light day or less.

I propose to you then an optimistic view of the Galaxy an an abode of life. Countless millions of comets are out there, amply supplied with water, carbon, and nitrogen, the basic constituents of living cells. We see when they fall close to the sun that they contain all the common elements necessary to our existence. They lack only two essential requirements for human settlement, namely warmth and air. And now biological engineering will come to our rescue. We shall learn how to grow trees on comets.

To make a tree grow in airless space by the light of a distant sun is basically a problem of redesigning the skin of its leaves. In every organism the skin is the crucial part which must be most delicately tailored to the demands of the environment. The skin of a leaf in space must satisfy four requirements. It must be opaque to far-ultraviolet radiation to protect the vital tissues from radiation damage. It must be impervious to water. It must transmit visible light to the organs of photosynthesis. It must have extremely low emissivity for far-infrared radiation, so that it can limit loss of heat and keep itself from freezing. A tree whose leaves possess such a skin should be able to take root and flourish upon any comet as near to the sun as the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. Farther out than Saturn the sunlight is too feeble to keep a simple leaf warm, but trees can grow at far greater distances if they provide themselves with compound leaves. A compound leaf would consist of a photosynthetic part which is able to keep itself warm, together with a concave mirror part which itself remains cold but focuses concentrated sunlight upon the photosynthetic part. It should be possible to program the genetic instructions of a tree to produce such leaves and orient them correctly toward the sun. Many existing plants possess structures more complicated than this.

Once leaves can be made to function in space, the remaining parts of a tree -- trunk, branches, and roots -- do not present any great problems. The branches must not freeze, and therefore the bark must be a superior heat insulator. The roots will penetrate and gradually melt the frozen interior of the comet, and the tree will build its substance from the materials that the roots find there. The oxygen which the leaves manufacture must not be exhaled into space; instead it will be transported down to the roots and released into the regions where men will live and take their ease among the tree trunks. One question still remains. How high can a tree on a comet grow? The answer is surprising. On any celestial body whose diameter is of the order of ten miles or less, the force of gravity is so weak that a tree can grow infinitely high. Ordinary wood is strong enough to lift its own weight to an arbitrary distance from the center of gravity. This means that from a comet of ten-mile diameter, trees can grow out for hundreds of miles, collecting the energy of sunlight from an area thousands of times as large as the area of the comet itself. Seen from far away, the comet will look like a small potato sprouting an immense growth of stems and foliage. When man comes to live on the comets, he will find himself returning to the arboreal existence of his ancestors.

We shall bring to the comets not only trees but a great variety of other flora and fauna to create for ourselves an environment as beautiful as ever existed on Earth. Perhaps we shall teach our plants to make seeds which will sail out across the ocean of space to propagate life upon comets still unvisited by man. Perhaps we shall start a wave of life which will spread from comet to comet without end until we have achieved the greening of the Galaxy. That may be an end or a beginning, as Bernal said, but from here it is out of sight.

© Copyright 1972, 1973, 2002 Freeman J. Dyson. Reprinted by permission of author.

-------------------------------

BBC NEWS: LEVIATHAN ./hi/english/static/special_report/1999/12/99/back_to_the_future/freeman_

Interview with Freeman Dyson, Physicist

Q: You were talking about black trees. What's that about?

A: Another thing is black trees. Black trees are trees with leaves made of silicon rather than just green stuff so that they're 10% efficient in converting sunlight into interesting chemicals rather than 1%. Ordinary trees are about 1% efficient. You could get that up to 10% by using silicon instead of chlorophyll so genetic engineering should allow you to do that.

Trees, of course, basically, are not going to change. They will still be the same kind of trees we have now except that the genetic engineering will enable the leaves to process sunlight much more efficiently, so that you could imagine supplying all the fuel needs of the world with quite a small area of forest. I think it will be a tremendous equaliser so that the tropical countries can become rich. That's one of the good things I see coming out of genetics.

-------------------------------

DYSON TREES .com/civ/Dyson_

BAD ASTRONOMY BULLETIN BOARD -- Discuss Bad Astonomy Here!  
.?t=13580&highlight= Subject: Dyson Trees

IMAGES:  
.com/dp_

*************************

ANOTHER OBSCURE REFERENCE

FROM THE TEXT:  
"The Curse of the Krell," Washu added.

For specifics, see:

-------------------------------

HIDDEN FRONTIER .

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Starring: Walter Pidgeon -- Dr. Edward Morbius Anne Francis -- Altaira Morbius Leslie Nielsen -- Commander John J. Adams Warren Stevens -- Lt. 'Doc' Ostrow

Directed by: Fred M. Wilcox

This 1956 pop adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" is one of the best, most influential science fiction movies ever made. Walter Pidgeon is the Prospero figure, presiding over a paradisiacal world with his lovely young daughter and their servile droid. When the crew of a spaceship lands on the planet, they become aware of a sinister invisible force that threatens to destroy them. Great special effects and a bizarre electronic score help make this movie as fresh, imaginative, and fun as it was when first released. Forbidden Planet is the first and still the best example of everything a Science Fiction movie should be. On one hand, we have a fairy tale of distant galaxies and great special effects and on the other hand, the movie taps into the primal fears we all have.

-------------------------------

The following excerpt is from the Foreward of "Forbidden Planet" by W.J. Stuart, Paperback Library Edition, © Copyright 1956 by Loew's Incorporated, Library of Congress catalog card number 56-5755:

...By the middle of the fourth century in our millennium the first exploratory trips beyond the confines of the Solar system had already been made, and all the time the design, construction, and performance of spacecraft were being improved...

...The early days of Outer Space penetration were naturally productive of many events and deeds which have since attained almost legendary quality, perhaps chief of these being the extraordinary story surrounding the two expeditions to Altair, the great mainsequence star of the constellation Alpha Aquilae. The first of these (Aboard the Space Ship Bellerophon) was launched, from Earth via the Moon, on the seventh of Sextor, 2351. The second (on the United Planets Cruiser C-57-D) was launched twenty years later almost to the minute...

And from the Postscript:

...This frightful, cosmically-powered explosion, resulting in the complete disintegration of the Planet Altair-4, was visible to all astronomers in the Solar System. The awe-inspiring, terrible beauty of the sight will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it...

It was, of course, considered a natural phenomenon -- until the return, on Sexter 20th, 2391, of the Cruiser C-57-D, when Commander J.J. Adams first was able to relate his epic tale.

...There is good reason to believe that, at first, Commander Adams' reports of the scientific supremacy of this ancient and defunct race did not receive complete credence. However, when he exhibited (and 'put through its paces') the anthroform robot-machine constructed by Doctor Morbius, doubts began to dissolve...

-------------------------------

INCREDIBLY STRANGE COINCEDENCES 1999 ./~

It is like the movie "Forbidden Planet" (which is a SciFi remake of Shakespeare's "The Tempest"). The Krell were an advanced race technologically who poured all their resources into developing the ultimate project -- the ability to turn pure thought into matter, to materialize one's dreams. Within a short time after they put this project online, they were all wiped out! Why? Because their WORST FEARS and their BASEST INSTINCTS also materialized as demons which destroyed them..."creatures from the ID"...their NIGHTMARES materialized as well as their DREAMS. What a great movie!

*************************

STILL ANOTHER OBSCURE REFERENCE

FROM THE TEXT:  
"My experiences say otherwise," Clark countered. "Imperiex Prime, for instance."

THE CAPTAIN'S UNOFFICIAL JUSTICE LEAGUE HOMEPAGE Imperiex Prime, Secret Origin:

Imperiex was the central bad-guy behind the 2001 OUR WORLDS AT WAR crossover. He had been foreshadowed during the previous year in the Superman books and was off-scene for most of the actual event. The design of the character owes a certain something to the influence of Jack Kirby and the concept itself is reminiscent of Marvel's Galactus or Unicron from the Transformers Universe.

The entity called Imperiex was one of the oldest life forms in existence and claimed to be many times older than this Universe. It believed that its place in the natural order was to hasten the end of the Universe and bring about its rebirth in a subsequent "big bang." It achieved this by collapsing -- "hollowing" -- entire galaxies into super massive black holes. It had slept for eons after the last big bang and had recently awakened. Imperiex was driven to begin the process that would bring about the end of another universe. It began selecting key worlds for destruction. Almerac, Karna, and Kalanor where just a few of the worlds that fell to Imperiex's Probes -- miniature replicas of the central Imperiex Prime intelligence.

*************************

YET ANOTHER OBSCURE REFERENCE

FROM THE TEXT:  
Lois studied her companions for a moment, before finally asking, "Have you learned ladies ever read any of J.R.R. Tolkien's works?"

BOOK PREVIEW "The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy" by Gregory Bassham & Eric Bronson

*************************

AND ANOTHER OBSCURE REFERENCE

FROM THE TEXT:  
"Among the most ancient and widespread Earth legends is that of the triple goddesses, the Three Sisters of Fate."

THE THREE WEIRD SISTERS OR WYRD MYTHS .com/Wyrd_

*************************

AND ANOTHER ODD REFERENCE:

FROM THE TEXT:  
"There must have been widespread gengineering of the baseline model fairly early in Kryptonian history. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it occuried during the very early interplanetary exploration period, long before any interstellar colonies were founded."

ORION'S ARM Races, Clades, and Species .

By the middle of the 2nd century AT, the biotech and nanotech driven evolutionary radiation of the human species was well underway. Just as during the the Cambrian explosion of Earth 540 million years ago a single worm became the ancestor of all major groups (phyla) of animal life in sudden dramatic evolutionary radiation, so, propelled by DIY geneering, bionics, cyborgisation, software evolution, and deliberate planned adaptation, the same thing happened to humanity and to humanity's "mind children" the simms, constructs, bots, vecs, and AIs. Non-sophont organic life did not escape either - some species were geneered into new forms, crossed with human genomes, and a few enhanced, augmented and provolved into human-grade intelligence.

As early as the 3rd and 4th century AT unfolded the four basic divisions of hominid, animal, cyborg, and ai produced further ramifications, a process known as cladization. In addition to convergence and blurring of boundaries the opposite process occurred.

These two tendencies -- cladization on the one hand, and hybridization on the other, gave rise within a few short centuries to an astonishing diversity of humanoid types. And unfortunately, to a rise in racist and extremist militant factions among the baseline normals, and equally nasty reactions among the other groups.

By the middle Interplanetary age the Sol System was dotted with biospheres, many of which contained lifeforms already cladising into new species. Many of these were to be tragically lost during the dark ages of rampant nanoswarms, but many others were to survive, flourish, and spread throughout the universe. By the middle First Federation period sentient life alone had already claded into innumerable forms, a process that continues until the present stardate with no sign of abating.

As civilisation expanded throughout the solar system, and eventually the universe, the organics, virtuals, vecs and AIs came to spread throughout the galaxy. Isolated in ships hurtling through space at relativistic velocities, or on asteroids or biospheres or planets in the Solar System and other star systems, and with evolution accelerated to hundred thousand-fold through gengineering, bionics, and bionanotech, they underwent tremendous cladization. Each little colony and ship and population and virtuality becoming essentially a distinct species. By the time the Second Federation was established there were already well in excess of two hundred thousand species of hominid races, and many others who were no longer even the slightest bit humanoid!

*************************

THE FINAL OBSCURE REFERENCE

THE TITLE OF THIS STORY:

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS /carroll/lookingglass/

In the six years since he wrote Alice in Wonderland, Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) had been teaching Alice the mysteries of the game of chess. He had made up stories to illustrate the moves of the pieces and the rules of the game. When he came to consider a sequel, therefore, he had plenty of ideas, and had only to make up his mind as to the best way to turn his many stories into one. In the beginning of the book, he identified the main characters with the chessmen and provided a diagram with the pieces set out for the problem which was to be solved. The chess problem is quite correctly worked out in the course of the story.

When Dodgson was in London, he met a little girl, Alice Raikes. He invited her indoors, put an orange in her right hand and asked her in which hand she was holding it. Then, he put her in front of a mirror, and asked which hand the child in the mirror was holding the orange in. Alice told him that it was in her left hand. When he asked her for an explanation, she answered:

"Supposing I was on the other side of the glass, wouldn't the orange still be in my right hand?" He was delighted with her answer and decided that his new book would be about the world on the other side of the looking glass. (source: Graham, E., Lewis Carroll and the writing of Through the Looking Glass, as an introduction in a Penguin edition of the stories)

Dodgson wanted to secure an illustrator well before the text was complete. John Tenniel was willing, but engaged with other projects. Dodgson approached Sir Joseph Paton, but he was ill. Then he wrote to Tenniel, offering to buy his time from his publishers; Tenniel agreed to illustrate the book in his spare time.

The working title of Alice's new adventures was 'Looking-Glass House'. It evolved to 'Behind the Looking-Glass', but eventually Henry Liddon suggested 'Through the Looking-Glass' and the subtitle 'And What Alice Found There' was added. (source: Stoffell, S. Lovett, Lewis Carroll in Wonderland. The life and times of Alice and her creator, 1997, p.94-95)

This sequel, "Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there", was published in December 1871 (but was dated 1872).

The *wrong-way-round idea* dominates the book, because this kind of game was a favourite of Dodgson's. He liked to write letters in mirror-writing, drew pictures which changed into different ones when held upside down, and he also liked to play his musical boxes backwards. Some people think that this has something to do with his left-handedness, and the asymmetry of his body.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
L E G A L S T U F F :

Superman and all related elements are TM of © of DC Comics, Joanne Siegel and Laura Siegel Larson. This story, its characters and author, and any content related to Superman, are not authorized by DC Comics or the Siegels. Use of these trademarked and copyrighted properties is not intended to challenge said ownership. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

The characters of "Tenchi Muyo!" were created by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC.

This story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2005 by Jeffery L. Harris. This story comes entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris Subject: "Through The Looking Glass"


End file.
